Healer should heal thyself first, new mantra of IMA chief

Pediatrician Dilip Sarda has a new mission in hand after taking over as the new state president of Indian Medical Association (IMA) of Maharashtra – to ensure that doctors give attention to their health and are fit. He claims that the average lifespan of a doctor is less than that of a common man and follows the dictum ‘heal thy healer’.

Sarda believes that doctors are the torch bearers and should maintain good health and has therefore taken up ‘beyond health’ as his agenda for the year.

“I have sent an email to all the 200 IMA centres across the state requesting all the 36,000 members to actively participate in this initiative for their personal good. Some of the basic things that they should follow are eating at the right time, carrying dabbas from home, using bicycles instead of bikes and cars, taking proper rest and performing Suryanamaskar every morning,” Sarda said.

The reasons that can be attributed for poor health of doctors are wrong eating habits, more stress, less sleep, etc. Though they are themselves preaching about it, they fail to follow it because of demands of profession. “Being a practising pediatrician myself, I get calls at 3-4 am from anxious parents, and then its impossible to have a sound sleep,” he said, adding that doctors and their families should be healthy and fit, because society looks up to them. 

“If they are disciplined, so will be society. I would urge doctors to use bicycles as it is not only a good exercise, but also gives out a social message,” he said.