Covid warrior braved poverty to become doctor

Tribune News Service
Patiala, November 16

Standing up to poverty, 25-year-old Dr Ankit Kumar, a resident doctor in the Department of Surgery at Guru Gobind Medical College, Faridkot, who died of Covid-19 on Friday morning, had worked hard braving poverty to don the white coat. Dr Ankit is survived by his parents and two younger sisters.

Soni expresses grief

• Medical Education and Research Minister Om Prakash Soni on Monday expressed grief over the death of Dr Ankit Kumar
• The minister prayed for eternal peace to the departed soul and strength to the family to bear the loss
• Dr Avnish Kumar, Director, Department of Medical Education and Research, attended the funeral on the behalf of state government

Dr Ankit, who studied at Kendriya Vidyalaya in Patiala, had dreamt of becoming a surgeon, said family members. Belonging to a reserved category, the family had taken an education loan of Rs 3 lakh to pay the fee of his post-graduation course.

His father Suresh Pal, who works as a class 3 technician in the Railways, is the only source of income for the family of five.

His mother Lokesh Devi said: "We had earlier taken a loan of Rs 2 lakh for his MBBS. We took another loan of Rs 3 lakh for his post-graduation course. We didn't even have money to hire a taxi to see our son in Faridkot while he was undergoing treatment. We had to borrow money for a taxi." Younger sister Ankita said his brother was a bright student who braved all hurdles. "Ankit was very hardworking but wasn't happy after joining the post-graduation in surgery. However, he never gave the reason for his dismay. He always wanted to come home when not working."

Meanwhile, Dr Raj Bahadur, Vice Chancellor, Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), met the family today. "It is a great loss to the medical fraternity and society. He was our frontline worker. We gave him the best possible healthcare," he told the family when asked about alleged lack of care. Asked about why Dr Ankit was not shifted to the PGIMER, Chandigarh, Dr Bahadur said: "Our college offers good treatment for Covid. Moreover, his condition deteriorated rapidly over a few hours."

They had forwarded the file, as sought by the Secretary, for a financial relief to the family, he added.

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