Three doctors staring at you, while dressed in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), might paint a grim picture. But the next moment, a classic Bollywood song — ‘Woh Meri Neend Mera Chain’ from Hum Hain Raahi Pyaar Ke — starts playing, and the doctors break into a dance.
Doctors on COVID-19 duty in Bengaluru's Victoria Hospital, which is the designated hospital for treating people infected by the virus, decided to alleviate their stress by turning to dance.
This was an activity started by the doctors on duty at the hospital after their shift was over.
Doctors of #Bengaluru Victoria Hospital have prescribed a session of Happy Dance to overcome the stress and anxiety after treating #COVID19India patients. pic.twitter.com/Pc3ATmmWiI
— Bharathirajan (@bharathircc) June 2, 2020
"We are working in shifts since the capacity of the hospital is reduced while treating COVID-19 cases. Our duty here has been constant since the start of the pandemic, so we have been entertaining ourselves in different ways. We get together in a room, play music and dance to different songs," says a doctor working at the hospital.
Doctors at the hospital also celebrated Eid at the end of last month, in a bid to lift the spirits of the patients. The children in the ward took to drawings and games, while women turned to painting their hands with henna with the cones sent to the ward.
At the start of the pandemic when the first few cases emerged in Bengaluru, men and women were kept on separate floors. But after families, couples and senior citizens requested that they stay together, the arrangement in the ward was changed. Doctors say that they recognise the role of emotional support in recovering from the disease.
Earlier, a video of doctors in Chennai dancing to the song ‘Happy’ by Pharrel Williams was shared widely. Videos of doctors in Karnataka and Kerala applauding recovered COVID-19 patients as they leave the hospital have also been popular.
Karnataka reported 4,835 coronavirus cases in total, with 1,688 people having recovered so far. 434 cases have been reported from Bengaluru, of which, 139 patients are under treatment.