More than 513 doctors including 103 from Delhi succumb to COVID-19 in second wave: IMA

New Delhi, May 26: Amid the rise in novel coronavirus cases in India, the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic continues to prove deadly not only for patients but also for healthcare workers.

According to the Indian Medical Association (IMA), as many as 513 doctors across the country have lost their lives to the deadly virus. 103 of them were from the national capital alone.

On Tuesday, the IMA released a fresh state-wise list of doctors who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. The top medical body's data show 103 fatalities of doctors in Delhi followed by Bihar with 96 and Uttar Pradesh 41 respectively.

COVID-19: Ramdev's aide accuses IMA president of conspiring to convert India into Christianity

While 39 doctors succumbed to the virus in Rajasthan, 29 each died in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and Telangana among other states.

Doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers including medical cleaners, ambulance drivers, pathologists, paramedics are highly vulnerable to the deadly coronavirus as they tend to serve people afflicted with COVID. There is an unprecedented challenge for these healthcare workers as they have to care of their patients and themselves too.

Doctors are seen being sleep-deprived, remain away from their families for a long time. Despite all odds, they have won many battles by standing firm day and night.

The service extended by these warriors deserves appreciation for they are the ones fighting for our safety and working for humanity. In these challenging times, they are the true heroes with a determination to save lives.

During the first wave of COVID-19, in August 2020, over 87,000 healthcare workers got infected 87,000 healthcare workers in just six states-Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, West Bengal and Gujarat. Gujarat had accounted for three-fourths (74 per cent) of the caseload.