Punjab floods: ‘Restoring smiles is as imp as treating wounds’

“When floods come, the fish eat ants. When the waters dry, the ants eat the fish. Life gives a chance to everyone. We just have to wait for our turn.” These words of former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam have been echoing in my mind ever since the recent deluge in Gurdaspur. To me, they mean that life eventually provides a level playing field. Sometimes we are helpless, and sometimes we are strong. These days, as a physician, I feel both at once.

During normal days, many of us doctors would end duty with little more than routine work.

Now, after the floods, we are working beyond capacity. People from the worst-affected villages come to our hospital daily with fresh challenges, but their pain has become our responsibility.

This was not my first flood posting, as I had seen the 2023 deluge in Fatehgarh Sahib. Yet this time, the scale was more intense and treacherous. The most common complaints we are facing now are skin infections. Healthy skin is the body’s first line of defence, and when it suffers, the whole body feels weak.

We doctors are trying to heal not just the wounds but also the spirits of these villagers. Many belong to the poorest sections of society and at times I feel we are giving them our hearts even before we hand them a prescription.

As part of the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, we are concentrating on preventing outbreaks. Once the waters receded, people began showing rashes and redness. Flood victims often could not wash clothes or maintain hygiene, which led to infections. Chemicals and contaminants in the water worsened conditions, while sharp debris caused cuts that quickly became infected.

Stagnant pools soon turned into mosquito breeding grounds. Our advice to villagers was simple but vital: avoid unnecessary contact with flood water, wear protective clothing and wash exposed skin with soap immediately.

Medicines may cure illness, but it is the compassion of doctors that truly heals patients. These floods tested our limits, but they also reminded us why we chose this profession. For me, restoring smiles is as important as treating wounds.