India losing 20 doctors per day to Covid-19 in second wave: Indian Medical Association

ABOUT 270 medical professionals have died in India since the deadly second wave of pandemic hit the country, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) said on Tuesday (18). On average, 20 doctors are dying due to Covid-19 in the second wave in the country.

The data released by the IMA, India’s largest association of doctors, also mentioned that a worryingly high proportion of the country’s doctors and medical staff are still not fully vaccinated. Out of all the doctors who lost their lives since January, about 97 percent were unvaccinated, while only three percent had received their jabs.

Bihar has seen the maximum number of 78 deaths of medical practitioners, followed by Uttar Pradesh (37), Delhi (29), and Andhra Pradesh (22). About 748 doctors had succumbed to the disease in the first wave of the pandemic, IMA said.

"Last year, 748 doctors across India succumbed to Covid-19, while in the current wave, in a short period, we have lost 270 doctors,” IMA president Dr. JA Jayalal said. "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."

He further added that due to various reasons, only 66 percent of India’s healthcare workers have been fully vaccinated. 

The IMA said that it is only maintaining a registry based on input from its various branches across the country. The toll includes doctors deployed in government hospitals, private hospitals, and medical colleges. 

IMA president said that even the recorded deaths of 270 doctors were itself likely to not represent the real picture and that the actual number could be 20 to 30 percent higher.

The list of the doctors who died recently also includes reputed cardiologist and former IMA president Dr. KK Aggarwal, who succumbed to the deadly virus on Monday (17).