Dr Mona Singh, Milkha Singh's daughter works at a New York hospital

NEW DELHI: Every day at 7 pm, when Dr Mona Singh steps out of the Metropolitan Hospital in New York at the end of her shift, she is greeted with claps and cheers by local residents. The gesture — meant to thank doctors on the frontline of Covid-19 fight — helps her forget, momentarily, the stress and anxiety that are part of her daily life now, treating patients at the coronavirus ward in one of worst-affected cities in the world. As she walks home, it’s now her turn to give a pep-talk to her parents in Chandigarh, assuring them that she is healthy and safe.Like Dr Singh, the daughter of legendary athlete Milkha Singh , several Indian-American doctors are aiding America’s fight against the pandemic. According to estimates, 90,000 Indian-American doctors have settled in the US over the last two decades and now constitute the largest ethnic group of physicians in that country.For many, the satisfaction of helping their adopted country in such times is immense, but so is the sadness. Doctors on Covid-19 duty that TOI spoke to said they were afraid of never seeing their parents and friends back home or worried about when they would get to visit India or get any visitors “from home”.“The key is to stay mentally strong and protect yourself and your patients. As my father would say, we are not running a sprint race, it’s a marathon,” said Dr Singh, an associate professor, (emergency medicine), at the hospital.But knowing that it will be a long haul only makes Dr Uma Rani Madhusdan in Connecticut miss her homeland more. “Sometimes, I can almost smell the aroma of Mysore Pak, the sweet delicacy form my home state of Karnataka,” said Dr Madhusudan who settled in the US in 2000. “My shifts are much longer than they used to be as hospitals are crowded with Covid-19 patients. It’s an intense experience and sometimes it can get overwhelming,” she said.This Saturday, Dr Madhusdan was taken by surprise when residents in her town of South Windsor carried out a parade of cars outside her house as a show of respect and gratitude. “This helps lift the spirits, health workers are scared too,” she said.The fears are not unfounded. At least five Indian-American doctors have died treating Covid-19 patients while others are battling the disease.Dr Prakash Satwani, associate professor of pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Centre, New York, was among those who contracted the virus, going right back to treating the patients as soon as he recovered. “My wife and I got sick at the same time. I had night sweats and sore threat and recovered in 14 days. My mother prayed daily, she was so stressed. She still is. So many of our relatives actually told us to return to India. I don’t know when that will be. What I do know is that a doctor’s job is to treat patients, that’s what I’m doing.”Families of doctors back home in India are worried sick. While Dr Singh sends a photo of herself in personal protective equipment (PPE) gear to her parents daily to allay their fears, for Dr Devang Sanghavi, director of medical ICU at Mayo Clinic Florida, the day begins with sending his health update home. “I tell my parents in Mumbai that I take all precautions, I sleep in a different part of the house since I live with my wife and son and I eat alone. All this often brings tears to their eyes. I want to see them but I don’t know when that will be,” he said.