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COVID snatches lives at frontline of battle against virus
The month-long lockdown might have reduced the COVID risk and helped reduce fatalities, but the virus continues to claim the lives of frontline healthcare workers.
The latest death, on Wednesday, was a young doctor from Ratmalana. Dr. Tharindri Vithanage, 31, had tested positive while working at the Ratnapura Teaching Hospital. She was initially sent to a COVID treatment centre at a hotel but as her condition worsened, was transferred to an intensive care unit of a private hospital and then to Karapitiya Teaching Hospital, where she died after being weeks on a ECMO machine, the last-resort life support option.
The postmortem revealed the cause of death to be multi-organ failure due to COVID-19 pneumonia.
Many lamented the sudden death of Dr. Wasantha Jayasooriya, who had been the additional Medical Officer of Health of Anamaduwa before being struck down by COVID. He had previously worked at the Negombo District General Hospital.
Dr. Sudath Bandara, 57, from the Kurunegala Provincial General Hospital, was also a recent victim of coronavirus. He had been attached to the hospital’s Outpatient Department that handles patient admissions.
Sixty-two-year-old Dr. Zaid Rafaideen from Mawilmada, Katugastota died at the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital while being treated for the virus. Dr. Rafaideen was retired but continued to treat patients at the Katugastota Divisional Hospital.
Other doctors who died from COVID-19 this year include Ragama Teaching Hospital physicians Dr. Mohamed Janan, 41, and Dr. Gayan Danthanarayana, 32, and Dr. R. Padmashantha, 54, the Medical Officer in Galigamuwa, Kegalle.
While rushing to save the lives of others, a number of ambulance drivers have come into contact with the virus and died. Among them are the ambulance driver of Kalutara Nebada Divisional Hospital T.M. Somasiri, Ratnapura Teaching Hospital ambulance driver B.A. Amarajeeva and an ambulance driver attached to the Rambukkana Health Ministry office, Pradeep Aluwatte.
Nursing staff have also had their lives taken away by COVID. Among the dead are Minuwangoda Base Hospital Senior Matron Indu Amarasinghe, Kethaki Upamali of the family health clinic at De Soyza Hospital for Women, Sadeeka Lakmali, a young mother of two working at the National Hospital, Colombo, and the Ward Registrar of National Hospital, Colombo, 53-year-old Geethika Wijesuriya.
Additional reporting by Rekha Tharangani Fonseka