Dhanbad’s woman doc is first frontline casualty in coal belt

Sindri: A senior woman doctor, who contracted Covid-19 while treating patients at Pataliputra Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), succumbed to the viral infection on Friday, becoming the second frontline doctor in the state and the first in the coal belt to fall victim to the new virus.
Dr Venu Choudhary (62), who was with the hospital’s preventive and social medicine (PSM), tested positive for the virus about 10 ago and was admitted to a private hospital in Ranchi. She was put on a ventilator two days ago after developing a lung infection and she died at 4am on Friday. On Thursday, Dr J P Lal, a 53-year-old posted at a community health centre in Jugsalai, Jamshedpur, became the first doctor to die of coronavirus in the state.
Although Choudhary was not on Covid duty, the Dhanbad chapter of Indian Medical Association (IMA) said that the state government should be more considerate towards elderly doctors while deploying them on duty as they are more vulnerable to the virus. Dr Shushil Kumar, secretary of IMA’s district unit, said her demise is a cruel reminder for other doctors that they should take all precautions while treating patients.
“We want the state government to make special arrangement for the treatment of doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff at the district level itself. Their presence is crucial for the treatment of others infected with the virus,” Kumar added. He also demanded that the government sponsor the treatment of health workers in super-specialty private hospitals.