SMC loses dedicated Covid warrior to heart attack

Surat: His relentless fight against the pandemic and the dedication towards his service earned him the sobriquet ‘warrior’ among his close circle. But Shailesh Bhoyre, 48, a sanitary inspector (SI) posted in the coronavirus hotspot of Maan Darwaja couldn’t fend off fate. Owing to a severe heart attack he suffered on Saturday morning, Bhoyre passed away leaving behind his two children and wife.
Since the nation-wide lockdown, Bhoyre, who was posted at the Umarwada ward in Limbayat zone was entrusted with the task of visiting households, especially in Maan Darwaja, for survey. He not only collected samples of suspected patients, but also arranged 108 ambulance for Covid-19 positive patients among many other duties he executed with dexterity.
A resident of Dumbhal fire station in Limbayat, Bhoyre started his career in the SMC as safai worker and worked up his way steadily to clear the SI examination with lot of hard work in more than 10 years. He was then appointed as the sanitary sub-inspector in the Limbayat zone.
Uday Naik, deputy engineer and head of the five clusters in Limbayat zone told TOI, “Bhoyre’s untimely death is a big loss to all of us. I have not seen such a dedicated health worker in my long stint with the SMC. A relentless worker, Bhoyre was a single point for all Covid-related issues in Maan Darwaja, from taking patients to hospitals and tests in the last two-and-a-half-months.”
According to Naik, to help him relax after working tirelessly for a long time, Bhoyre had recently been assigned duty at the Samras centre in Umarwada from 10 pm to 6 am.
Congress councillor from Limbayat, Aslam Cyclewala told TOI, “I have seen Bhoyre’s dedication in the field. He was not wary of going near positive patients and would pay regular visit to check for more suspected cases. His death is a huge loss in the Covid fight.”
Deputy municipal commissioner (health and hospital), Dr Ashish Naik said, “We have lost the first corona warrior of SMC. It is a big loss to the health department of losing such a dedicate worker. He was a man of the field and has worked tirelessly during the coronavirus pandemic. We will ensure that his family gets all possible assistance from the civic body.”