As Covid-19 attacks the lungs, people in critical condition will need to be intubated. A Covid-19 positive doctor in India gave up his own oxygen supply to a critically ill, elderly patient.
On 12 August, it was reported by Times of India that Dr Sanket Mehta, an anaesthetist who is also Covid-19 positive has put his life at risk to save a patient.
It is said that the incident took place on the night of 9 August in a hospital in Adajan. 37-year-old, Covid-19 patient Dr Sanket was admitted into the ICU as he had low oxygen levels and difficulty breathing. He was put on intubation.
Dr Sanket Mehta.
An elderly patient was rushed into the ICU with an urgent need for intubation. However, all of the hospital staff still needed to follow through with the Covid-19 SOPs which will take up about 15-20 minutes. Dr Sanket who was in the ward then took it upon himself to remove his own intubation and quickly intubated the elderly patient.
According to the doctors, intubation of a collapsed patient needs to be done within three minutes or the patient could suffer severe brain damage.
Dr Sanket was said to be weak at that time but he managed to gather up enough strength to save the life of another patient. The doctor is still in a semi-critical condition.
Medical staff taking care of an intubated patient. For illustration purposes only.
On 12 August, it is understood that the elderly patient had succumbed to the coronavirus. The news was broken to the anaesthetist and although he could not talk, his facial expressions showed deep sadness.
We applaud the selfless deed of Dr Sanket and hope he has a speedy recovery. Let’s not waste the efforts of all our frontliners. To combat Covid-19, we should always remember to physically distance ourselves when in public, sanitise ourselves and to always wear a face mask when outside.
Also read: Woman Ends Up in ICU Because Her Daughter Didn’t Self-Quarantine After Returning From Abroad
