Mohalla clinic doctor dies of Covid-19

The doctor, UC Ghosh, had started working at the clinic just three months ago after his wife died of cancer in March this year.

A doctor working at a mohalla clinic in Najafgarh died due to coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on Monday. He was 65.

Ghosh is reportedly the second doctor to have died with Covid-19 in the city so far. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

The doctor, UC Ghosh, had started working at the clinic just three months ago after his wife died of cancer in March this year.

“He was lonely and depressed after his wife died. He had given up practice to take care of his wife. The clinic came as a welcome respite for him. It is likely that he got the infection there,” said Dr BK Dey, 65, his family friend, who works at Maharshi Valmiki hospital.

Ghosh was diabetic and hypertensive, according to a Delhi government official. “We have asked our senior doctors to not open clinic at present. However, there are many who still volunteer to do so,” the official said.

According to his friend, Ghosh started losing his sense of taste and smell about 12 days ago and was very lethargic. “He would come home from the clinic and just go to bed. His daughter did not think too much of it, but maybe that’s when he got the infection,” Dey said.

Ghosh started vomiting and developed high-grade fever four days ago and had to be admitted to a hospital in Dwarka, where he lives. “He was admitted to the ICU and was put on ventilator a couple of days ago. His test came positive yesterday, but by then his condition was already very bad,” said Dey, who continues to go to the hospital in the absence of a written directive asking the elderly to stay at home.

Ghosh is reportedly the second doctor to have died with Covid-19 in the city so far. Earlier this month, Dr JN Pande, former head of medicine department at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, had died due to the viral disease.