A total of 270 doctors across the country succumbed to the Covid-19 infection in the second wave of the pandemic, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Tuesday said.
50 among those died on a single day. Shockingly, only 3 per cent of these doctors who passed away were fully vaccinated, the report said
Bihar saw the maximum number of 78 deaths of medical practitioners, followed by Uttar Pradesh (37), Delhi (29) and Andhra Pradesh (22).
According to the IMA Covid-19 registry, 748 doctors had succumbed to the disease in the first wave of the pandemic.
IMA general secretary Dr. Jayesh Lele said that many doctors have not taken the vaccine and the organisation is doing all it can to inoculate the workers.
“We want to highlight that the doctors are understaffed and overworked. They sometimes work for 48 hours at a stretch without any rest. This adds to the viral load and they ultimately succumb to the infection,” he added.
IMA president Dr. JA Jayalal said that last year 748 doctors across India succumbed to Covid-19, while in the current wave, in a short period, 270 doctors have lost their lives.
“The second wave of the pandemic is turning out to be extremely fatal for all and especially for the healthcare workers who are at the forefront,” Dr. Jayalal told a news agency.
The list of the deceased doctors includes former IMA president Dr. K K Aggarwal, who succumbed to the deadly virus on Monday.