About Doctor's Day
The government of West Bengal has declared July 1st 2020 as Doctor's Day. This will be a state holiday to pay gratitude to doctors, nurses and others who are working as frontline warriors in the fight against COVID-19.
Since 1991, India has celebrated National Doctors' Day on July 1st, in honour of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, a Bharat Ratna awardee, former chief minister of West Bengal and one of the most popular Congress leaders from eastern India.
It should be noted this is not a holiday to celebrate victory over COVID-19, the virus continues to spread and state-wide lockdown restrictions in West Bengal will remain in place until July 31st.
As far as we are aware, this is a world-first official holiday to mark the efforts of healthcare workers in combating the coronavirus pandemic.
West Bengal's Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has requested that a national holiday is declared on this day in respect of front line warriors across India.
