World Health Day 2021: Doctors stress on hygiene, health care to fight Covid scourge

Bengaluru: On World Health Day the medical experts stressed on the importance of hygiene and healthcare to keep the pandemic at bay.

Dr Vidya V Bhat, Laparoscopic Surgeon & Fertility Specialist, Medical Director, Radhakrishna Multispeciality Hospital and IVF Center, said, "The ongoing Covid pandemic has highlighted the importance of providing equitable access to high-quality healthcare services for all sections of the society. This is critical to improve disease outcomes, reduce the negative impact of health disorders and pandemics on people's lives, and build a fairer, healthier world. India has managed the Covid pandemic very well so far, despite having the world's second largest population which faces huge challenges in terms of accessibility and affordability of modern healthcare.

She opined that India has reached herd immunity in the last 3 to 4 months which led to a decline in Covid cases. "The new strains of Coronavirus have now triggered a second wave of Covid. We should not let our guard down and take precautions. Accelerating the Covid vaccination program is the need of the hour rather than the current slow-and-steady approach," Bhat suggests.

Rajesh U. Pandya, Managing Director-KAI India highlighted that nail hygiene is an integral part of the overall health measures and it plays a key role to control the infection caused by bacteria, viruses and other pathogens. Pandya has observed a substantial change in the way a majority of people perceive nail hygiene due to the infectious nature of the COVID-19 virus and the important role of healthy nails that helps prevent transmission of such diseases.

"Therefore, in addition to the pandemic-causing virus, regular hand & nail hygiene can help prevent common infectious diseases as well. Besides washing them, it is important to keep nails healthy. They must be kept clean and short, and cuts & bruises must not be left unattended and we must not share our nail clipper to prevent spread of germs", mentioned," he said.