COVID-19 positive Amritsar civil hospital's medical officer dies at 53

Amritsar, August 30

A senior medical officer and the in-charge of the Amritsar Civil Hospital, who had tested positive for COVID-19 last week, died of a heart attack on Sunday, officials said.

Arun Sharma, 53, was undergoing treatment in the city-based private hospital for the last 10 days.

The officials said that he had also developed a severe lung infection.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh condoled the death of Sharma, saying he was saddened to lose “one of our hardworking corona warriors”.

“He passed away this morning of a heart attack & was also Covid19 positive. It’s sad to lose such a brilliant & committed doctor. Heartfelt condolences to his family,” the chief minister tweeted.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, who attended the cremation, said Sharma will always be remembered as a true corona warrior for his services.

He said the doctor was put on a ventilator after developing complications.

“Intensivist from PGIMER was guiding his clinical management and the state was preparing to airlift him to PGI at Chandigarh or Medanta Hospital in Gurugram. Unfortunately, this morning he had a cardiac arrest and passed away,” Sidhu said.

Sharma is survived by his wife, daughter and son.

He also served as a blood transfusion officer during which he also played a key role to establish a blood bank in Amritsar. — PTI