Indian doctor treating COVID-19 patients ‘dies by suicide due to stress’

A doctor treating COVID-19 patients at a private hospital in India’s Delhi has taken his own life due to distress amid a devastating second wave of infections, NDTV says.

The police at south Delhi's Malviya Nagar said Dr Vivek Rai left a suicide note, the Indian broadcaster reported on Saturday when the country reported more than 400,000 new COVID-19 cases for the first time in a daily count.

Dr Rai is survived by his wife, who is two-month pregnant, the report said citing a tweet by Dr Ravi Wankhedkar, a former chief of Indian Medical Association.

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 tweeted.

"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," he added.

NDTV said social media is full of stories of desperate people trying to find oxygen or a hospital bed for their friends and family.