Hours after he tested positive for Covid, a 26-year-old junior resident doctor at GTB Hospital succumbed to Covid-related complications on Sunday.
According to senior doctors, Dr Anas Mujahid, an MBBS graduate from Delhi’s University College of Medical Sciences, was on duty at the OB-GYN ward till Saturday afternoon and got tested for the virus at 8 pm that night. Around 3 am on Sunday, he died due to intracranial bleeding. Doctors said he had no co-morbidities.
One of the youngest doctors who succumbed to the virus at GTB Hospital, his professors said he was a shy, sweet and bright student. “It’s heartbreaking to lose a young and bright doctor. He was a shy student and didn’t speak much during classes but he always greeted me in the hallway. I will miss his smile. I spoke to his seniors at the Gynaecology department where he was working for the last three months. They told me his work was excellent. I am so proud of him. He was working yesterday and served many Covid patients. He was a martyr,” Dr Satendra Singh, Professor of Physiology at UCMS.
Doctors and colleagues said his family lives in Delhi but Anas was staying at Leela Palace hotel, paid for by the hospital, because he was a resident doctor performing duties during the pandemic. He is survived by his parents and four siblings. His father is an engineer who earlier worked in the Gulf and recently shifted to India.
On Saturday evening, Anas went to meet his family for Iftaar. Before heading back to the hotel, he decided to get himself tested for Covid at GTB as he felt unwell. “He complained of body ache and weakness so he got himself tested around 8 pm. The Rapid Antigen Test showed he had Covid. The doctor was writing a prescription when Anas said he was having a severe headache. He then collapsed on the ground and it seemed he was having a seizure. When the doctor removed his face mask, one side of his face was paralysed,” said Dr Shaaz Beg, Anas’s friend and batchmate at UCMS.
Doctors said Anas was rushed to the emergency ward and a CT scan test was done, which showed he had “heavy clotting”. Worried, colleagues and friends immediately several calls to neurosurgeons in and around Delhi.
“Everyone told us he was critical. It all happened so soon, I still can’t process it. Doctors put him on a ventilator around 2.30 am but he died after half an hour. Anas was one of the most hard-working doctors from our batch. He performed duties in the Covid ward, OB-GYN and other places. He was so dedicated,” said Dr Beg.
The last rites were performed by the family and friends at Shastri Park on Sunday afternoon.
Dr Sandeep Yadav, a senior doctor, said, “This virus has taken more lives than we can imagine. Anas was one of the youngest warriors we lost in this pandemic. When I heard about his death, I was shocked. The young boy died due to a brain haemorrhage. I found out that he was experiencing mild symptoms from two-three days.”
