Coronavirus: Senior doctor at AIIMS Delhi dies of COVID-19; wife hospitalised

A senior doctor at Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) died of coronavirus on Saturday. The deceased, Dr. Jitendra Nath Pande, was director and professor of the Pulmonology Department at AIIMS Delhi.

Dr. Pande and his wife tested positive for the infection on May 19, Tuesday with mild symptoms.

AIIMS Director Dr. Randeep Guleria said that after the couple was detected with COVID-19 symptoms, they decided to remain under home isolation. However, on Saturday, Pande's wife was hospitalised after her health condition worsened.

Guleria added that Dr. Pande is improving."He had his dinner and went off to sleep and then passed away in sleep possibly because of an acute cardiac event," Dr. Guleria said.

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Guleria expressed his grief over Pande's death. He said that the AIIMS family will miss Dr. Pande the most because he joined AIIMS as an MBBS student and retired as the head of the Department of Medicine.

"I have worked closely with him and have known him since my childhood as he was a student of my father," he added.

Following Dr. Pande's demise, several senior doctors have expressed their condolences. Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals Group and President of the industry chamber FICCI, said in a tweet: "Deeply saddened to hear that today. @covid19 claimed its most illustrious victim Dr. J.N Pande Director & Prof of Pulmonology @aiims_newdelhi.

Deeply saddened to hear that today @covid19 claimed it's most illustrious victim Dr. J.N Pande Director & Prof of Pulmonology @aiims_newdelhi

A stalwart of the medical world his work in pulmonology will continue to ensure better health for many

My Condolences to his family pic.twitter.com/ByE83ikItS

- Dr. Sangita Reddy (@drsangitareddy) May 23, 2020

"A stalwart of the medical world, his work in pulmonology will continue to ensure better health for many. My Condolences to his family," added Reddy.

After his retirement in 2003, Dr. Pande joined the Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research and worked there as a senior consultant in the Respiratory Medicine department.

"He was a legendary physician who had taught many practicing doctors at AIIMS and continued to mentor physicians even after joining this hospital. What was remarkable was that the most difficult cases would come to him," said the institute's director Abhishek Bhartia.

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