Bagalkot doctor Karnataka’s first Covid-19 health warrior to die of virus

BENGALURU: A doctor in his early 30s, who was in the Covid-19 frontline duty in Bagalkot district, died of the infection in Bengaluru on Thursday, becoming Karnataka’s first health warrior fatality.
After testing positive, the medical officer in Kaladgi primary health centre suffered from liver complications and was rushed to Bengaluru a week ago. He was admitted to a private hospital where he breathed his last.
Health department director Dr Om Prakash Patil said the doctor’s family will be assisted by the government with a Rs 50-lakh insurance fund under the Covid-19 health workers’ insurance scheme.The doctor wasn’t married.
Doc’s death not included in Covid-19 fatalities yet
The private hospital on Bannerghatta Road where the doctor was on treatment refused to comment about his death. His last rites were conducted in Bengaluru. The doctor’s death was not included in the Covid-19 fatalities of the state in Thursday’s bulletin, reflecting the delayed reporting of Covid-19 deaths in the state.
Bagalkot district health officer Dr Anant Desai, also president-elect of Karnataka Government Medical Officers’ Association, said they have lost “a young, bright doctor who was working in Karnataka’s rural areas”.
The Karnataka Medical Association blamed the system for the doctor’s death. “More than 30 doctors and several healthcare professionals in Karnataka have tested positive for Covid-19. It’s true in other states and across the globe too. Are corona warriors protected by the government? The incident is affecting the confidence of ground-level warriors,” said a doctor working with the health and family welfare department.