Medica Group of Hospitals hosted its second COVID-19 Webinar this evening. We were extremely pleased with the attendee turn out. We, at Medica, have always believed in being prepared for the worst and we decided to fully engage, intercept and take the fight to COVID as early as the first week of February when the first few cases were being reported in India. We were dynamic and flexible in incorporating a number of infrastructural changes as well as executing them operationally.

The Panelists for today’s session were Dr. Alok Roy, Chairman of Medica Group of Hospitals, Mr. Gandharv Roy, COO of Medica Superspecialty Hospital, Kolkata, Ms. Anusheela Brahmachary, Sports Psychologist & Counsellor, and Dr. Pranav Balakrishnan, Head of COVID Documentation at Medica Superspecialty Hospital, Kolkata. The session was moderated by Mr. Ritwick Mishra, Manager-Operations, Medica Superspecialty Hospital, Kolkata.

Over the past few months, we have experienced an unprecedented shift in our way of life to do the Coronavirus outbreak. Dr. Alok Roy spoke about where we are currently headed in the near future as the lockdown was slowly being lifted and the number of COVID cases started to spike. He also spoke about safety being the need of the hour as businesses were gearing up for a swift return to work by ensuring all safety protocols to be followed at any given workplace.

As the world started to fundamentally recalibrate, the consumer habits started changing and it was critical for businesses to recalibrate themselves according to that. Mr. Gandharv Roy talked about the relevance of this shift in the health-care industry by pointing out No hospital is ever going to be COVID-free and the most important thing to do is take sufficient precautions and to stay COVID-ready at all times to allay any fears that patients might have. He also talked about the future of Telemedicine and how effective it was during the initial stages of lockdown by referring to telemedicine as one more clinical tool in any clinician’s tool belt rather than giving the idea of replacing the traditional on-site clinical visit.

Ms. Anusheela Brahmachary spoke about how to get the most out of our day while working remotely by putting a set structure and schedule in place which would help employees concentrate better while working from home. Because of social distancing, she also spoke about how to deal with affection deprivation and what happens to our bodies when we go  without touch for a long time.

Dr. Pranav Balakrishnan laid out the importance of wearing a mask while going out, safety protocols to adhere to while accepting delivery packets and while going grocery shopping. He also talked about the progress that had been made all over the world with regard to finding a vaccine for COVID-19.

Following the three golden rules; Social distancing, wearing a face mask, and frequent handwashing remains vital in this fight against COVID-19. Nothing inspires cleanliness more than an unexpected guest.