Jitendra Rathod, a heart surgeon of Indian origin, has died of the coronavirus in United Kingdom on Tuesday. He was an associate specialist in cardio-thoracic surgery at the University Hospital of Wales.
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said he died in the general intensive care ward after testing positive for Covid-19. “Jitu had worked in the Department of cardio-thoracic surgery since the mid-1990s and came back to UHW in 2006 after a brief stint abroad,” the board said in a tribute on its website.
The health board also said that Rathod was “an incredibly dedicated surgeon who cared deeply for his patients”. “He was very compassionate and a wonderful human being. His commitment to the specialism was exemplary. We will miss him greatly.”
Rathod studied medicine at Bombay University in 1977, moved to the United Kingdom and worked for years in the National Health Service, Hindustan Times reported.
The official toll from the coronavirus in the United Kingdom currently stands at 5,373, and last week the health minister said the deadliest peak was projected to be Easter Sunday, April 12. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was on Monday taken to the intensive care unit for worsening coronavirus symptoms.
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