Assam doctor dies after taking anti-malarial drug

Guwahati: A doctor at a private hospital in Assam's Guwahati died of a heart attack, after he allegedly consumed anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine, which is being used for the treatment of coronavirus patients. Sources say the doctor, identified as 44-year-old Utpaljit Barman, a senior anaesthetist, had consumed the drug of his own accord as a precaution against COVID-19.

It is not confirmed as of now if the drug triggered the heart-attack, but, sources say, he had written a WhatsApp text to his colleague about feeling uneasy after taking the medicine. The Indian Council of Medical Research, the top government medical body, has recommended the drug for doctors, health workers and family members exposed to the COVID-19 patients. Dr Barman, however, was not part of the fight against the disease as there is no coronavirus patient in Assam yet. The ICMR has also warned that the drug should not be taken as self-medication to prevent or cure COVID-19