It was a moment of pride for Dr Govathi Nikhila when she received the prestigious Best Young Researcher Award at the National Gratitude Awards ceremony in March 2020. Her consistent hard work, grit, and determination were finally recognized. But she had never done it to fetch awards and popularity all that the motivated woman wanted was to articulately and holistically describe the reasons behind dysphagia.
Apart
from being a competent medical professional, Nikhila is a kind-hearted lady who
believes in the power of social work and feels that no human being should be
deprived of medical facilities because of their economic and social
backwardness. Her magnanimous personality has come to the rescue of many people
in need during the treacherous Coronavirus Pandemic, technically called
Covid-19.
Helping during the pandemic
Days after she received the
award, the Covid-19 pandemic began making inroads into India, and a Nationwide
Lockdown was imposed to curb its menace. A sense of panic, disquiet, and fear
prevailed across the nation. The novel nature of the virus had even experts
stumbling for possible solutions. There was a scarcity of beds, ventilators,
ICUs, oxygen cylinders, etc., and patients were running helplessly from
hospital to hospital in search of vacancies. At that time, Dr Govathi was in
Hyderabad and was approached by the families of many Covid patients for help.
They were in dire need of oxygen cylinders and had her as their last hope.
Though the lady doctor was not very influential, her determination to help was
strong enough to fetch successful results. She rummaged through her contacts
and, somehow, managed to get the required number of cylinders for the seekers.
The experience moved her a lot, and she decided to assist the patients in need.
Govathi purchased some oxygen cylinders with her own money and distributed them
free of cost to the patients hailing from a poor financial background. She also
provided PPE kits to nurses and other members of a nearby hospital. Her knack
to be at the forefront in times of crisis made her travel to rural areas and
conduct Covid tests free of cost. The benevolent woman has since then been
trying to reach out to as many affected people as possible. With meals,
clothes, and other necessary things, she has regularly been available to those
without proper shelter. Her aim has always been to bring positivity in such
trying times when people need to be overt with the humane values they carry.
Tips to stay afloat until the pandemic wanes
When the entire world is
waiting for an effective vaccine for the virus, Nikhila feels people should
take responsibility and adopt a healthy lifestyle. It is imperative to focus on
the prevention of the spread of the virus, which is only possible with the use
of masks, sanitisers, and good hygiene habits. One must include a diet that can
help in boosting immunity and avert future ailments. Though it is mentally
tough to stay afar from loved ones, one must always maintain physical
distancing until the situation improves. Only the advent of a vaccine won’t
help the initiative has to come from the general public. We, as a society, need
to take the task into our hands and complement the efforts made by the
government, security personnel, and the Corona Warriors, as the medical
fraternity has come to be popularly known. Only then could we overcome this
disaster and do justice to the sacrifices made by them.
Intelligent, polite, selfless, and altruistic are the words to describe the personality of Dr. Govathi Nikhila. She has not only come out as a leading young researcher but also as a social pillar that the country needed in Corona times. Her benignant efforts have saved many lives while further motivating others to help those in need. She has created an opportunity out of adversity and reached out to the people at the last thread of our social structure. Moreover, her attitude has remained positive while dealing with difficult situations and limited resources. Surely, we need more people like the gracious doctor to keep the values of humanity alive.
