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​Miss England Hangs Up Crown To Return To Job As Junior Doctor

​Miss England Hangs Up Crown To Return To Job As Junior Doctor

Bhasha Mukherjee said she felt ‘anxious’ about returning to medicine in the current climate, but now feels ‘privileged’ to be able to help

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

A Miss England title-holder has temporarily hung up her crown to return to her job as a junior doctor to help colleagues as the deadly coronavirus pandemic rages on.

Bhasha Mukherjee said she felt 'anxious' about returning to medicine in the current climate, but now feels 'privileged' to be able to help.

Mukherjee had been touring the world to complete humanitarian work as part of her role as Miss England, but her trip was cut short so that she cold return to her job at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, Lincolnshire, in April.

Since then, the 24-year-old has been working 13-hour shifts helping coronavirus-positive patients across various departments of the hospital, but despite the incredibly long hours, she's adamant that she would 'rather be saving lives than be on the red carpet'.

Mercury

Kolkata-born Mukherjee said: "Just the other day I met a patient in the middle of the night and she was in so much pain you could feel how much she was hurting just by looking at her.

"I held her hand just to let her know that I was there and to reassure her that she was going to be ok.

"It's such a privilege to be able to do that, to be there in someone's time of need.

Mercury

"The patients are very thankful and grateful to us and my fellow staff members have commended me because I had the choice to not come back but I did.

"Technically I had until August off-work to complete my trip, so I probably would've put myself at a lot less risk if I had waited until then.

"But I came back in April instead when it was the peak of the pandemic.

Mercury

"I know that I'm in the right place.

"At the minute I would rather be saving lives than be on the red carpet being Miss England because I can see how much I'm needed.

"It's very humbling for me to feel that I can do something as simple as hold someone's hand or caress their forehead when they are in pain.

"It just makes you realise that we take life for granted and it puts everything in perspective."

Mercury

Mukherjee's humanitarian tour, which was supposed to last 10 months, had taken her to India when the pandemic hit, leaving her trapped in her country of birth until the UK Foreign Office was able to fly her home at the start of April.

She then had to self-isolate for two weeks to ensure she was safe to go back to work, growing more and more anxious that her time out would hinder her ability to cope.

With the virus known to disproportionately affect BAME communities, Mukherjee also admitted she knew working on the frontline was putting her own life at risk.

Mercury
Mercury

She continued: "There is no predicting what will happen and how anybody will react to the virus.

"We have seen some quite young patients who are not very well at all and obviously it disproportionately affects BAME groups which is really scary for me and many of my other colleagues because a lot of the nurses and doctors here are BAME, so we really are risking our lives.

"When I first arrived I felt very anxious about whether I was the right person to help them.

"I was off work for six months and I thought 'Do I know enough, am I out of practice and can I do this?'

Mercury

"My mum was very worried about me and panic stricken - she couldn't stop looking at social media for updates.

"Now it's a bit more normalised for my family and when I tell my mum about what I have done to help people it brings a tear to her eye.

"I had to learn very quickly but I've coped well and I feel really privileged to be the only support for some of our patients."

Mercury

Despite her fears, Mukherjee has carried on confidently - and has even managed to find time to continue some of her Miss England duties, having cobbled together a photoshoot in her garage to raise money for the NHS Covid-19 appeal.

She roped in her photography-loving younger brother, 19-year-old Arya, to create some stylish shots to promote the new Miss England sterling silver rainbow pendant, which is being sold on the pageant website for £29.99, with £5 from every sale going to the cause.

Featured Image Credit: Mercury

Topics: UK News, News, Coronavirus