One more doctor on frontline duty succumbs to Coronavirus

Bengaluru: A growing number of government doctors in Karnataka are succumbing to Covid-19. In the latest incident, a government doctor in Tumkuru, who had contracted Covid-19 more than a week ago succumbed to the infection on Tuesday. Dr. Devraj was in home isolation for the last 10 days in Kunigal in Tumakuru district and died after his oxygen saturation levels dipped below normal and he experienced breathlessness.

According to reports, he was first admitted to Kunigal taluk hospital and later shifted to Surya hospital. A masters in medicine from the United Kingdom, Dr Devraj was an expert in communicable diseases. More than 10 doctors have succumbed to Covid-19 since June. Karnataka is one of the worst hit regions in the country with the caseload surpassing the 4 lakh mark.

Bengaluru continues to fuel the surge as India's technology capital now accounts for over 1.5 lakh confirmed cases. The total number of fatalities in the state ose to 6,534. Earlier, a government doctor in Ramanagara district in the state had succumbed to the infection after he was turned away by at least three private hospital, including Rajashekhar Hospital in JP Nagar, BGS Global Hospital in Kengeri and Sagar Hospital in Kumaraswamy Layout Dr Manjunath was turned away by hospitals as he could not produce a coronavirus test result and later succumbed. The doctor worked in the state Health and Family Welfare department in Ramanagara district.

On June 26, a 29-year-old doctor working at a primary health centre in Belagavi died after contracting Covid. He was admitted at a private hospital in Bengaluru where he died. The same day another medical officer, attached to the Kaladgi primary health centre, died of the infection in Bengaluru. On June 29, two more doctors succumbed to the virus, one from Hassan and the other from KR Pet in Mandya.