The recent tragic loss of a highly accomplished, respected, and loved neurophysician from Nagpur, Dr. Pakhmode, and Dr. Senthil, an accomplished Oral and Maxillofacial surgeon from Chennai, has shaken the medical profession. Both were young, seemingly healthy professionals who had given a second lease on life to innumerable patients. The tragedy has brought back the focus on the health of the medical professionals, which is sadly neglected in today’s highly competitive world. The rigorous journey begins the day we enter a professional institute. College days are filled with the race to assimilate knowledge and develop and hone our skills to achieve professional excellence. Late nights, long working hours, the pressure to complete tasks on time, and the need to deliver immediate relief to patients’ problems are always a priority in our lives. As we step out of college and enter the arena of clinical practice, it only adds to our burdens. Health sciences is a profession where learning never ends. Updating our knowledge and skills is a continuous process. The rigours of the daily routine take a toll on our physical health. None of this might ever change. This is also the time we settle down in our personal lives to build our homes and families. Apart from the professional workload, we have to be a constant source of income, stability, and pleasure for our loved ones. Our personal life, the source of our joy and happiness, also becomes more demanding. Most of us tend to ignore the red flags, presumably to run the show flawlessly. Some of us keep it running until our last breath, when it’s too late. It’s time to rethink. We need to redistribute our time, making self-care mandatory. As dental professionals, the burden of occupational hazards is ruining our bodies. It’s time to add Ergonomics in Dentistry as a subject and focus on ways and means to safeguard our physical health. Work will not stop. It shouldn’t. But with awareness, we understand what harms our bodies. The work-around-the-clock attitude probably keeps us from setting boundaries. However, drawing a line between your work life and personal life is essential to building healthier relationships with friends, family, and co-workers. It is also the key to a happier life. We can take precautions and train ourselves to work in an environment that increases our efficiency. This helps professionals to sustain longer in the professional world. When a tragedy of this extent happens, there is a huge loss to the profession. One very erudite, skilled clinician who has saved many from the agony of physical pain is lost. One who would have brought relief to many more individuals and a smile to their families has vanished, leaving a deep void. As is the cycle of life, someone else will take their place in the profession. But the void they left in the family will remain forever. The loved ones, for whom they strived to provide the best in life, will now only have memories. A healthy, pain-free body can hold a more peaceful, less anxious, stress-free mind. This has been proven to be important for a long and happy existence. Let us dedicate ourselves to leading a healthier, peaceful, and balanced life. Let us move towards creating a work-life balance by prioritizing personal well-being alongside professional commitments by setting boundaries, not just managing time. Work-life balance is a personal creation of managing health, family, profession, and passion to avoid burnout. “We should work to live, not live to work.” – John McDonnell
Pratima Shenoi (Thu,) studied this question.