As the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) sweeps across the world forcing many of us to change our lifestyles in the hope of dodging the deadly virus, a group of people have no choice but to face the danger head-on every day.

Despite the threat to their own lives and those of their loved o­nes, healthcare workers dice with danger to treat infected patients and work around the clock to discover a vaccine so that the rest of us could live in peace.

If Hippocrates was alive today, he would definitely be proud of their sheer grit and unwavering dedication.

The disease strikes at a time when the medical profession, o­ne of humankind's noblest, has turned into a money-spinning career.

Doctors throng to high-end private hospitals, some resembling luxury hotels, where the salary is manyfolds higher than what the public sector can afford to pay.

The wealthy get treated swiftly while the poor are forced to make a beeline at government hospitals, where its staff are overworked and underpaid.

In the age of commercialisation, the right to a healthy and long existence, like everything else, is dictated by bank balances.

Even to acquire a medical degree, which equips an individual with the sacred knowledge of saving the life of a fellow human being, is an expensive venture.

Reputation and profit

It is not uncommon to come across parents who harbour great hope that their children would o­ne day become doctors since the profession is reputable as well as profitable.

But Sars has shattered this myth. The virus has proven that being a doctor or a healthcare worker can be just as, if not more, dangerous than a career in the armed forces.

In fact, this disease has already claimed the lives of several doctors and medical staff worldwide, including a Malaysian doctor who was working in Singapore.

Hundreds others have been infected and the number continues to rise.

Pause for o­ne moment and imagine what would happen if these people just walked away. They too have parents, spouses and children to go home too. Why should they risk everything for strangers?

God forbid that such a day should come for it could probably mean the end of the entire human race.

Somewhere in all this macabre mayhem, there is a bright light shining that speaks volumes of human courage and compassion. Maybe this is a prescription that we all should take.

Then again, we hear how private clinics and hospitals are turning away patients who display symptoms of the deadly disease.

While we may wonder about the practicality or ethics of such a move, a doctor I spoke to revealed that not all think alike.

"The symptoms are common. I can't turn people away just because they have a fever or cough. It's just not right," he told me, his words reflecting his true dedication for his chosen profession.

In an article published in the Guardian newspaper recently, a Canadian doctor had detailed the unbridled stress under which medical staff were operating.

"Looking back now, we had no idea then how soon and how much Sars was to dominate every aspect of our personal and professional lives," he said.

Even donning a mask proved to be a daunting task.

"The masks are horrible. Your eyeglasses steam up and you long for the coolness of fresh air. The fibres quickly clog your nose, and after a few hours everyone has a sore throat. Fatigue sets in as you re-breathe your own stale air."

And then, there is the usual surge in faith during moments or crisis.

"My attendance at the hospital chapel has been more frequent than usual since Sars. I have prayed for those colleagues who are ill and for the families who have lost loved o­nes," said the doctor who works in Toronto, the epicentre of the Canadian outbreak.

Thank you

On the domestic front, the Malaysian Medical Association recently proposed that the government consider a special compensation scheme for healthcare workers who are in the front-line battling this disease.

Although o­ne cannot put a price o­n their contribution, it is o­nly right for the government to agree to this request. Anything short of that, would be a grave injustice.

And to all the doctors and healthcare workers out there, who at this very moment are putting their lives o­n the line, this writer, o­n behalf of the whole of humanity, would like to say thank you.

May God watch over you during this perilous times.

RK ANAND is a member of the malaysiakini team.