Her Twitter handle @drkamnakakkar describes her as “100% sarkaari dactarni (government doctor)” who writes “poetry and other s***”, and now her emotional outburst through a series of tweets on the lack of protective gear for doctors at the forefront of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and the pathetic condition of the health infrastructure in the State, have earned a growing online following.
'War without weapons'
Pursuing MD Anaesthesia and Critical Care at Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), Rohtak, Dr. Kamna Kakkar, in one of her scathing tweets, tagging the Prime Minister’s Office, says: “Please don't send me to war without weapons @PMOIndia. Please arrange #PersonalProtectiveEquipment for us doctors ASAP. We need #N95masks #HazmatSuits to defeat #Corona. Sincerely yours, an Indian Doctor”.
Accompanying a video where a doctor is seen putting on protective gear before presumably going for his work, another tweet by her says: “This attire ensures we doctors, nurses, healthcare workers go back home alive. If you care about #coronawarriors, please ask the policy makers to provide us #PersonalProtectiveEquipment as shown in the video at the earliest. #CoronaIndia #StayHomeIndia @PMOIndia@WHO.”
Her tweets, posted mostly over the past 24 hours, have been retweeted hundreds of times and earned thousands of views, and her followers have increased from around 4,000 to 10,000, and counting, within the span of a few hours since Tuesday morning.The media is vying for her comments and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has endorsed her views in a tweet.
Another tweet highlights the delay in procurement of protective gear with: “When they arrive, please send N95 masks and gloves to my grave. Taali aur thaali b baja dena waha! Regards, frustrated sarkari doctor narendramodi @anilvijminister @DrRebellious @cmohry @drharshvardhan @UMY_35”, prompted a reaction from Mr. Gandhi, who tweeted that he was feeling sad and that the “situation was completely avoidable”.
In another tweet, she said, “Plz tell if I should intubate a Corona patient if my lachaar sarkari hospital has not provided me personal protection items like N95 mask or gloves? (P.S. I have life plans & no suicidal intent!) @anilvijminister @PMOIndia @DrRebellious @PMOIndia @drharshvardhan @anjanaomkashyap”.
Celebrities tagged
Tagging film stars Salman Khan, Shahrukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan, and Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli, she wanted to know whether "these rich people could help medical personnel procure protective gear".
She also put a disclaimer as a pinned tweet saying that she was only a doctor and did not endorse the views of any political party or religious organisation. She also urged that her tweets not be misused for "any agenda" and added that her only concern was for her colleagues and patients.
Her posts have drawn attention to the Haryana government's state of preparedness in containing the COVID-19 outbreak, with officials unwilling to comment.
