Harsh Vardhan says medicine 'not just profession but vocation'

New Delhi [India], December 12 (ANI): Highlighting the role played by the Delhi's Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC) amid the pandemic, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Saturday gave a message at the college's convocation ceremony, saying that medicine is not a "just a profession but a vocation" and one must keep learning and keep upgrading their knowledge and skills.
"You should always keep in mind that medicine is not just a profession but a vocation. You must always keep learning and should continuously keep upgrading your knowledge and skills," said Dr Harsh Vardhan while addressing the 99th Convocation Ceremony of the Lady Hardinge Medical College, Delhi.
While advising the students, the Union Minister in his message to the graduates said, "It is important to show compassion while treating patients. Never forget your humanity or that of your patience. They are people and not just a collection of specialised parts. They have unique life stories, linked to their families, communities and society."
Talking about LHMC's history, the Health Minister said, "...LHMC has been a symbol of women empowerment in our country. Today Lady Hardinge alumni occupy the position of pride in India and abroad and have made a laudable contribution in the field of health care and medical education and brought glory to the institution and the country."
"And this has also been ranked within the top medical colleges in the country and has been consistently producing outstanding medical professional," he added.
The minister further lauded LHMC for its role in battling the COVID-19 pandemic. "I am proud to acknowledge how the LHMC rose to the unprecedented challenge of the COVID-19 and excelled in their battle against this deadly virus," Dr Harsh Vardhan said.
"Lady Hardinge was among the first government institution in Delhi to establish a state of the art facility to conduct the RT-PCR test. As the pandemic spread and various treatment modalities were being tested against this little known virus, LHMC was one of the centres for conducting trials for evaluating the usefulness of convalescent plasma therapy," he added. (ANI)