Doctor Working in COVID Ward of Delhi’s Max Hospital Dies by Suicide

Earlier, the former chief of a top medical body tweeted that Dr Vivek Rai took the drastic step due to severe stress amid the deadly second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

New Delhi: A 35-year-old resident doctor working at a private hospital in Delhi committed suicide on Friday night, reported news agencies quoting the police on Saturday. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Atul Bhatia said that the deceased doctor has been identified as Vivek Rai who worked at the Max Hospital in Saket area of south Delhi. The DCP said that information was received on Friday night that the doctor was not opening the door of his flat located in Malviya Nagar area.

The officer said that after receiving the information, ASI Jagdish Kumar reached the spot and found Rai hanging from a ceiling fan with a saree. “The crime team was called at the spot and the scene was inspected,” he said. The DCP said that Rai was living in the flat along with his wife. He further said that a suicide notice was found from the flat wherein no allegation was made against anybody by the deceased. The body was shifted to the AIIMS mortuary where a post-mortem was conducted.

Earlier, the former chief of a top medical body tweeted that Dr Vivek Rai took the drastic step due to severe stress amid the deadly second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. “He was a very brilliant doctor from Gorakhpur (in Uttar Pradesh) and helped to save hundreds of lives during the pandemic,” former Indian Medical Association (IMA) chief Dr Ravi Wankhedkar tweeted.

COVID WARRIOR dies by Suicide

Dr Vivek Rai,
Resident dr of DNB 1st year at Max Hospital Saket Delhi.
He Was doing covid duty since 1 month and was dealing with icu pts every day and was providing cpr and ACLS for about 7 to 8 patients per day in which not many were surviving. pic.twitter.com/ha5v09Cjwh

— Prof Dr Ravi Wankhedkar (@docraviw) May 1, 2021

Dr Vivek Rai had been looking after Covid patients at the private hospital for the last one month, the ex-IMA chief said. He had been dealing with seven to eight critical patients every day, Dr Wankhedkar said, adding the young doctor developed depression after more and more people kept dying. “Due to this frustrating situation he was into, he took such a difficult decision of ending his own life than living with the suffering and emotions of the people who died on his watch,” Dr Wankhedkar said, adding that Dr Rai is survived by his wife, who is two-month pregnant.

and has helped to save hundreds of life's in this covid era.
He was newly married in last year Nov & his wife is 2 months into her pregnancy.

— Prof Dr Ravi Wankhedkar (@docraviw) May 1, 2021

“This brings into focus the tremendous emotional strain while managing Covid crisis. This death of a young doctor is nothing short of murder by the ‘system’ which has created frustrations with shortage of basic healthcare facilities. Bad science, bad politics and bad governance,” the former IMA president tweeted.

(With inputs from agencies)