Twenty doctors in Tamil Nadu have succumbed to the coronavirus since March, as per data collected by the state unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA). Among the deceased doctors, most of them were general medical practitioners from Chennai, Madurai and other southern districts. The number of deaths was lower in the western districts of the state.
The Tamil Nadu unit of IMA submitted details of 20 doctors to the state government on Tuesday. The death of the doctors, who were working in private and government hospitals, have been registered with the respective IMA branches in various districts.
The association also predicts that a higher number of doctors may have succumbed to the coronavirus, IMA state secretary AK Ravikumar said.
“The first COVID-19 death of a doctor associated with IMA was Dr Simon. After that, we started collecting the data on the deaths of all doctors due to the novel coronavirus. Till now, 20 doctors have succumbed to COVID-19. However, the number of deaths can also be higher because we have submitted a list of only those doctors, whose kin have provided death certificates and other documents to us. We are also collecting the details of other doctors who allegedly succumbed to the virus.”
Based on the list, doctors above the age of 50 are more vulnerable, he said, adding, “In the list, the youngest doctor to succumb to coronavirus was a 43-year-old man. All the other doctors are aged over 50.”
Many general practitioners contracted the virus while discharging their duties and succumbed to the infection, the data suggested.
“General practitioners contracted the virus more than other specialists. This is because they are spending more time with patients and they are also providing consultations to a lot of people, even before diagnosis. Also, many private hospitals with high caseloads are unable to give time for the doctors to quarantine themselves. Hence, doctors are working with constant exposure to the virus,” IMA state president CN Raja said.
There was a list reportedly by IMA that was widely circulated among doctors and social media users claiming that 43 doctors succumbed to the infection in Tamil Nadu. Rubbishing this information, Raja said, “The data was published as a table with no attestation or seal. The information was not released by the IMA. We are looking at the source of the information. However, as per the data we have collected, that information is wrong.”
On the different ways to curb the spread of the virus among doctors, he said, “Doctors should provide treatment during a pandemic and we cannot do much about it. However, telemedicine can be an option to treat the patients but the feasibility of the practice is still unknown.”
The state unit also put forth certain demands to the government.
The state president said, “Many private hospitals are unable to access life-saving drugs. Hence, the government should intervene and make sure that drugs are available for the people. The government should also increase the infrastructure of government hospitals so that we can treat more patients. Also, plasma therapy should be encouraged and provided to more number of people.”