She is no more. But her legacy lives on. That is how doctors in Kolkata mourned the death of a city-based anaesthetist, Sanjukta Shyam Ray.
She showed her phenomenal medical skills while taking care of patients undergoing complicated surgeries at Kolkata hospitals, say her colleagues. Also, she used to help — in all the ways she could — her friends, juniors, health workers and poor patients, they add.
Sanjukta passed away on May 3 at a city hospital. Slightly above 40, her untimely death stunned a large number of medics. They expressed grief and fondly reminisced about her in personal discussions and on social media platforms.
In India, Covid-19 has killed several healthcare professionals; 798 doctors have reportedly died across the country only during the second wave of the pandemic. And when the pandemic seems relatively quieter, the untimely death of a fellow doctor caused pain among city-based medical practitioners, particularly those who worked with Sanjukta.
Smart and sharp and trustworthy
“Sanjukta’s jovial nature, cordial behaviour, and dedication and sincerity will be remembered for a long time. As an anaesthetist, she was smart and sharp, and a trustworthy colleague who was part of some of my complicated and first-of-its-kind surgeries,” says city-based ENT and head and neck surgeon, Shantanu Panja. “After a successful surgery, Sanjukta would insist ‘khaoate hobe’ [we deserve a treat] and we all would flock to a restaurant! Those days are unforgettable,” he recalls.
Ever helpful tomboy in scrubs
Pulmonologist Sushmita Roy Chowdhury shared her thoughts through a heart-warming Facebook post. “I will always remember you as [a] bubbly, happy-go-lucky, ever helpful Tomboy in scrubs who was efficient, kind, fun loving and a genuine soul,” reads her post. “Live on dear Sanjukta. I shall remember our times of slogging together during the pandemic. You were a hero and a coveted New Towner. Bhalo thaakish [Stay well],” it adds.
Doctors lost patients, but they also lost colleagues
In general clinical practice, doctors, throughout their professional career, have to see ‘recovery’, ‘survival’ as well as ‘death’ of individuals on a daily basis. But, with respect to colleagues and contemporaries, grief often plays a role. Regarding doctors’ grief following a colleague’s death, an opinion piece by Telangana-based healthcare professionals (in the context of Covid-19) — which was published last year in BMJ Opinion — had said that, “[doctors] lost patients, but they also lost colleagues…. Given that the characteristics of grief are generally universal, doctors experiencing grief for their fellow doctors will go through the same stages of crisis as any other person”.
For critical care specialist Ayan Banerjee, Sanjukta was like a second sister. He experienced intense grief after his ex-colleague passed away. “In an era of corporate professionalism plaguing the medical profession, Sanjukta was a welcome fresh breath of air, whose life, if not shuttered in this untimely manner, could have enlightened many souls through her selfless service,” says Banerjee. “During the pandemic, she also took part in several free medical camps in or around New Town,” he adds. Banerjee took to Facebook to express his grief on Sanjukta’s death through poetry. Here is one such post:
After completing MBBS from NRS Medical College, Sanjukta did her postgraduation training at Apollo Multispeciality Hospital. At Apollo in 2009, she met Ahsan Ahmed. Currently a Kolkata-based critical care specialist, Ahmed, as a senior, helped Sanjukta learn the initial nitty-gritty of anaesthesia. “Sanjukta used to call me ‘Baba’ [father] and my wife ‘Maa’ [mother] as I had helped her in those initial days of learning,” says Ahmed. “She always respected her teachers and seniors and helped her juniors, friends and patients.”
Dr Sanjeet Bagcchi is a physician and independent medical writer.