GTB hospital doc dies within hours of testing positive for Covid
Dr Anas Mujahid, a resident of north-east Delhi’s Bhagirathi Vihar who completed his internship after MBBS in January, was working at the hospital’s gynaecology ward as a junior resident since last month.
A 26-year-old doctor at Guru Tegh Bahadur (GBT) Hospital, which has been converted into a designated Covid-19 hospital, died within hours of testing positive for the infection on Sunday, confirmed officials from the hospital administration.
Dr Anas Mujahid, a resident of north-east Delhi’s Bhagirathi Vihar who completed his internship after MBBS in January, was working at the hospital’s gynaecology ward as a junior resident since last month.
Mujahid was known to be hardworking, the most humble and helpful person among his colleagues and juniors at the University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS) at GTB hospital. He was reporting to duty till Saturday, officials said.
According to his colleagues and family members, the discharge slip issued by the hospital mentioned that Mujahid was Covid positive and suffered from “intracranial hemorrhage” (bleeding within the skull, including the brain).
His batchmate and colleague Amir Sohail said both of them visited Mujahid’s home for iftar (meal to break the day-long fast during Ramzan) on Saturday evening. “Since last month, we have been staying at a hotel provided by the hospital to all doctors who are currently on Covid duty. While returning back to the hotel from Mujahid’s home, he complained of feeling feverish. He decided to take a rapid antigen test at the fever clinic of the GTB hospital before going to the hotel. He tested positive for Covid-19,” said Sohail.
“We were sitting in the clinic only when he suddenly collapsed. I, along with other staff members, rushed him to the casualty ward. He was not responding well. The doctors there sent him for a CT-scan. The report revealed a massive bleeding spot in the brain. He was immediately transferred to the neurological department, where he died around 2:30am,” he added.
Sohail said he has been finding it difficult to process his friend’s sudden death. “He worked in the Covid ward last year also and was alright throughout. I was the one who contracted the virus while on duty. He was absolutely fine till Saturday evening. I still cannot believe he left us like that,” he said adding Mujahid had not taken the vaccine shots.
Mauz Mujahid, younger brother of the deceased, said the family received a call from the hospital around 10pm on Saturday. “We could not believe what Anas’ friend was saying as he was with us till a few hours ago. My parents and my elder brother immediately rushed to the hospital. Within hours, he left us. Our family is in shock. My parents still can’t accept it even after cremating him,” he said. Mujahid’s father is an Unani doctor. He is survived by his parents, two brothers, and a younger sister.
Dr. Mohammad Anas, Mujahid’s junior at the college and hospital and his namesake, said, “He was just one year senior to me. I was in the 2016 batch and he was in 2015. We immediately connected because we shared the same name. He was the most humble person I know. Always so polite and helpful...the entire fraternity is in shock. We cannot believe that a person as young as him could die this way without having any severe symptoms.”
A K Jain, dean of UCMS at GTB Hospital, confirmed Mujahid’s death. “I am yet to go through his medical reports. It’s really unfortunate that he is not with us anymore.”
Dr. Satendra Singh, a faculty at UCMS at GTB Hospital, said that he got to know about Mujahid’s death on Sunday morning. “It’s a rare case of sudden progression (of Covid-19) and it’s alarming. Generally, we have seen cases of blood clots and internal bleeding in patients with severe Covid symptoms. However, according to his friends, he was fine till Saturday,” he said.
