Pandemics taking place in every century in its Twenties
A doctor’s profession is painstaking, arduous but healing and full of love. Dr Sailesh Mishra is one with a difference who has archived expertise and excellence in a rare field of intensive care, pain management and anaesthesia. He had his MBBS degree from the MKCG Medical College, Brahmapur. He went to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, wherefrom he obtained his MD.
In the year 2003, he moved to the United Kingdom, where he undertook intensive training for seven years till he became a consultant in the UK National Health Services (NHS) in the field of pain management, anaesthesia and intensive care. Dr Mishra keeps coming to his motherland to bring joy to the lacerated hearts by promoting understanding in pain management.
He is the first Indian and Odia to have been vaccinated in London against Covid-19 and appreciates the efforts of the Government of India and the Odisha Government in ushering in an era of vaccination with an enviable position at the global level. In an interview to The Pioneer, Dr Mishra, who is currently in Odisha, spoke to Sugyan Choudhury at his residence at IRC Village, Bhubaneswar.
What’s your experience as the first Odia to have been vaccinated in London?
There were many vaccines today, but the first licensed one is the Pfizer biometrics vaccine. The first country to use this was the UK. And the first date in which it was used was December 8, 2020.
Among many people vaccinated on the day, I had the singular opportunity as an Odia. I got the second dose after three weeks on December 30, 2020. It so happened that I was the first Indian and the first Odia to have been vaccinated in the UK.
Could you please tell about the UK Government’s mode of vaccination?
There are four vaccines in used in the UK. The first one is Pfizer biometrics. Then, Oxford AstraZeneca, Moderna and another one also produced in the UK. The UK has its own plans to vaccinate people of the most vulnerable groups over 80 years and people who are in care homes. They are going to vaccinate doctors, nurses and others in the healthcare sector.
Then, they are going to vaccinate those who have cardiac problems, bad asthma, cancer and such other vulnerable groups.
Subsequently, they will administer vaccines to people of 70-year age group, 60-year age group, 50-year age group. This way, they are going to give vaccines to all the young population and have plans to vaccinate 15 million people by February 14, 2021.
It is only yesterday that the UK Government announced that by the end of May, all people over 50 years would have been vaccinated. Hence, the young people will get vaccinated a bit later. Now, different vaccines are coming in. Instead of two injections, one new vaccine will be given. The options are many.
You are an Indian. There are also other ethnic groups in London. Have you noticed any discriminatory practices there during the time of vaccination?
Not at all, not at all! There is a term called “Bame”, i.e., black Asian, a minority ethnic community. They are the most vulnerable ones and their rate of death is more as they are found to be more susceptible to the pandemic. Hence, the UK Government of UK, after careful consideration, is preferentially administrating them vaccines first.
More Asians are working in the NHS and there are more health workers, key workers; and like others, they are given the vaccine at the first consideration. So, you can say there is a positive discrimination in the larger benefit of the vulnerable ethnic groups. The UK Government is making sure that these ethnic groups are adequately protected as their death rates are found to be more.
As an overseas Indian doctor, what is your observation regarding the vaccination programme here in India both by the Union Government and the State Government of Odisha?
India has done great things and has taken a giant leap in this regard. There are two types of vaccines available here. One is Covaxin by the Bharat Biotech and the other is Covishield produced by the Serum Institute of India. Both are administered in two phases. First, they are giving to all the health workers, doctors and nurses. They are observing the safety data from them. There has not been any direct death or any severe reaction out of that. They are indeed safe.
In a few days, there will be a massive rollout and the common man would receive it very soon. Actually, India has the capacity now to produce more vaccines. And India is now exporting these vaccines to other parts of the world which can very safely be told that it is a sanguine success for the scientific of community of India.
Well, Dr Mishra, what’s your observation of the Naveen Patnaik Government’s programme of vaccination in your homeland?
One thing I would like to say and appreciate very much that the Patnaik Government started the lockdown early. And this has worked here tremendously. Numbers of deaths are coming down here and life is quickly coming back to normal.
I have been here for the last three weeks and I noticed that schools and colleges have started opening; market complexes are slowly and steadily and theatre and movie houses are opening of gradually. After a great deal of suffering over the last 11 months, people are now opened up to their new leases of life. I am very happy that the Government here at my home State has done a commendable job.
As an expert overseas Indian doctor, are you apprehensive of a second Covid wave hitting India and your homeland Odisha?
In the UK, we are having a far more debilitating second wave and there are more deaths now. According an ICMR study, possibly, there has been herd immunity and more than 20% of Indians might have developed it in the meanwhile. Hence, hopefully, a second wave here might not be more delirious and debilitating as I hope so. And now with the vaccination rolling out to the masses, we can hopefully keep it under control.
As a medical scientist, do you consider that the pandemic is nothing but nature’s revenge on mankind?
The answer lies in history in every century in its Twenties. There have occurred some kinds of pandemic. In 1720, there was plague in the global scenario. In 1820, there was cholera; and in 1920, there was Spanish flu.
In 2020, there is coronavirus pandemic. Hence, nature in its fury has cleansed a large part of population from our planate.
So, this pandemic has given us time for honest introspection and analysis as to how man, the homosapien, should lead his life in consonance with nature.
