Dr Jha died on Saturday due to complications of treatment. He was 55. In what was reminiscent of Paul Kalanithi’s book When Breath Becomes Air, Delhi-based renowned endocrinologist Dr Sujeet Jha left his book about his journey with leukaemia unfinished. His wife now intends to finish it from his notes — some scribbled and some recorded. Dr Jha died on Saturday due to complications of treatment. He was 55.
Dr Jha worked at Max healthcare. His wife, Dr Vinitaa Jha, who also works at Max healthcare, described him as the “life of the party, a brilliant clinician, and a thorough academician”.
“Even while undergoing chemotherapy, he would sit with a laptop, an iPad, and a mobile phone giving consultations to his patients. Once, he was upset that his students were under-prepared for their exams. So, after coming back from his chemotherapy, he called them home and took their class from 7 pm to 10 pm,” said Dr Vinitaa.
She said he was already planning what he would do once he got better, including travelling to Australia. Dr Vinitaa said her husband was notorious for never calling in a patient on time: “That’s because he didn’t see the patients just for 10 minutes in the OPD; he would take 30 minutes, 40 minutes, as long as required with every patient. Patients would enter his room complaining of delays, but they always left with a smile.”
Dr Sandeep Budhiraja, group medical director of Max Healthcare and Dr Jha’s friend and colleague for over 15 years, said, “He always sported a smile. All his patients were happy with him because he gave everyone a personal touch. Not just a good clinician, he was also great at academics.” He said he got his medical ethics from his father who is also a physician.
Dr Vinitaa said, “He (his father) is 90 years old and still practices. He was an expert of Kala Azar and worked with the WHO. Sujeet was always in awe of his father.”
For the last several years, he had set himself a dress code — beige pants and white polo shirts. He was always full of energy, so the first sign that troubled Dr Vinitaa was when he said he felt tired twice in one week. “Tired is not a word that exists in his dictionary or our household. He was always the first to get on a dance floor and last to leave it.”
Nothing fazed him even after his diagnosis, she said. “It was an unfortunate reaction. I feel he left too early, he had so much to do.”
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
