27-year-old Dr Manu succumbs to COVID-19 in Karnataka, friends share fond memories

Dr Manu, a medical officer who used to work in a Primary Health Center near Chintamani in Chikkaballapur district of Karnataka, succumbed to COVID-19 on June 16. Dr Manu, according to his friends and fellow doctors, was service-minded and always attended to patients regardless of the time of the day. “He was a person with a disability, but he never let that bring him down in any circumstance and continued to serve people,” his friend told TNM.

Dr Manu was born on January 17, 1994, in a village called T Golahalli near Chintamani. By the age of six, Dr Manu had contracted polio, which left him with a disability. He was unable to walk without support. Against the odds, Dr Manu excelled in his school and Pre-University, after which he took up MBBS in Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI). According to his friends, Dr Manu had difficulty walking from department to department but he didn’t let that discourage him in any way and always did well academically.

Unfortunately, he had met with a car accident in 2017, which had dislodged a rod implanted in his leg. Around this period, when he was to write his fourth-year exam, he contracted a fever. However, he managed to finish his exams and went back to his native in Chintamani. His fever increased, and as a result, he had to be admitted to a hospital in Bengaluru, where he was diagnosed with pneumonia. It took him nearly four months to recover in the hospital, causing him to lose one academic year.

After finishing MBBS, he took up a job at the Burudugunte Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in Chintamani as a medical officer and served there for two years. Dr Manu was then transferred to another PHC. However, by the time he could report to the new PHC, he was running a temperature, on May 28, 2021. “He didn’t worry as he had taken both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. However, the fever didn’t subside, and on June 9, he started experiencing shortness of breath,” his friend Prathap said. When tested for COVID-19, the test result came back positive. He was taken to a private hospital to be admitted. His friend alleged that the hospital didn’t provide him with proper attention, even considering his disability. Although Dr Manu was shifted to another hospital, his condition deteriorated, and a few days later, he breathed his last.

Dr Manu’s friend, Prathap, recalled many fond memories of him. “He was a very good friend and was always present when we needed him, even in the night

Dr Manu was a courageous person and never let his disability stop him from being independent. “Manu would drive his car all alone even till Mumbai and never felt any apprehension or difficulty. Whenever we planned any trip, he would be enthusiastic. Once, on the beach, he couldn’t walk with his crutches but when we carried him to the water, he really enjoyed the experience," said Prathap.

Some of his fellow doctors, too, recalled him as a courageous person who cared deeply about patients. “He wanted to reach new heights. He took every hurdle as a challenge and learned from the sufferings, and tried to create his own ways of solving his problems. He was empathetic with patients and his ‘never give up’ attitude made him clear all the exams despite many hurdles,” recounted Dr Bharat.

Prathap hopes that the Karnataka government would provide the compensation that his family deserves without trouble. “Manu’s parents cannot work for much longer and they had depended on him. I hope the compensation reaches them without them having to keep pursuing it. They don’t really wish to live off their son’s death compensation and probably won't keep pursuing it if they face any difficulty,” he said.