Eminent cardiologist Dr K K Aggarwal, who put patients first till his very end, passed away on May 17 at Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences after a long battle with the Covid-19. “I have Covid pneumonia, which is progressive. But even then, remember Raj Kapoor’s words ‘the show must go on’,” said Dr Aggarwal, the former president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), in one of his last educational videos about Covid.
The 62-year-old doctor was a cardiologist and head of the Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI). He received the Dr BC Roy Award in 2005 and the Padma Shri in 2010. In the past few months, Dr Aggarwal made an effort to educate people about Covid care by putting videos on social media. He continued it even when he was suffering from the disease.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Metabolic syndrome includes a cluster of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes that can lead to sudden death in <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#COVID19</a> <br>Watch warning signs and begin treatment on time! <a href=”https://t.co/7mDRpTw7Is”>pic.twitter.com/7mDRpTw7Is</a></p>— Dr K K Aggarwal (@DrKKAggarwal) <a href=”https://twitter.com/DrKKAggarwal/status/1389554953304215552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>May 4, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
In a statement, his family said, “He was unwavering in his mission of making quality healthcare available to the masses especially the economically weaker sections. Even with the pandemic raging, he worked relentlessly to reach out to over 100 million people through his digital initiatives. His informational videos and educational programmes proved instrumental in saving a large number of lives from the viral infection.”
On April 27, in one of his last Covid-related Facebook live videos , Dr Aggarwal said: “I have taken three masks and a face shield. I will go now to get my CT scan done. All of you know that I have received two doses of the vaccine and I have got a classical breakthrough Covid.” Then he continued to answer Covid related queries of patients for the next 20 minutes. Even after the CT scan, Dr Aggarwal did another Facebook live and spoke about what was noticed in the CT scan.
“My CT scan is normal. Don’t be afraid of vaccination. It will ultimately prevent you against severe Covid,” he said.
Later, when he was in the hospital, his account was handled by HCFI & Medtalks with a note which said,” Dr KK is recovering from COVID-19, meanwhile this account is being managed by HCFI & Medtalks”. But, on May 17, Dr Aggarwal succumbed to death.
The medical fraternity across the country are mourning the demise of Dr Aggarwal. Dr Harjit Singh Bhatti, the National President, Progressive Medicos & Scientists Forum(PMSF) said in his tweet “RIP Dr KK Aggrawal, Med fraternity lost its vocal cord today, you were among the most dynamic,vocal & strong leaders of our profession.From public awareness to public policies your contribution towards society is immensely respectful. My heartfelt condolences with bereaved family”
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>RIP Dr KK Aggrawal, Med fraternity lost its vocal cord today, you were among the most dynamic,vocal & strong leaders of our profession.From public awareness to public policies your contribution towards society is immensely respectful. My heartfelt condolences with bereaved family <a href=”https://t.co/SaqOGl2tvz”>pic.twitter.com/SaqOGl2tvz</a></p>— Harjit Singh Bhatti (@DrHarjitBhatti) <a href=”https://twitter.com/DrHarjitBhatti/status/1394528578805526534?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>May 18, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
