Indian-Origin Doctor Dies Of COVID In UK. Hospital Pays Tribute

A hospital in eastern England on Friday paid moving tributes to a "dedicated and committed" Indian-origin doctor after his death from COVID-19.

Dr Krishnan Subramanian, a 46-year-old Consultant Anaesthetist at Royal Derby Hospital of the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation (UHDB), died on Thursday at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester.

The trust said that a minute's silence will be held in his memory at the main entrance of Royal Derby Hospital at 11 am local time on Monday.

"This is a very sad day for the UHDB family. Krishnan was a hugely valued member of the team who had worked tirelessly this year to support those who needed care. Our thoughts are with his family at this time and I would like to offer our sincere condolences to them on behalf of everyone at UHDB," said Gavin Boyle, the Chief Executive of the trust.

"Our Anaesthetics and Theatres teams have worked incredibly hard this year in creating additional capacity for patients and staffing intensive care areas. For them to lose Krishnan in this way is heart-breaking and we will be doing everything to support the teams over the days and weeks to come. Losing Krishnan will undoubtedly impact on all of our staff and we have made sure that support, such as counselling, is available to all of them," he said.

Mr Subramanian joined the National Health Service (NHS) trust at the beginning of 2014 as a Consultant Anaesthetist and had previously worked at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, and trained at hospitals across the East Midlands region of England earlier in his career, including in Derby.

"Krishnan was a quiet and dedicated colleague. Hugely committed to his work, he stood out for his tireless patience with trainee doctors, for his professionalism and for his characteristic grin. He was a calm and reliable presence in what is often a busy working environment and I know many colleagues valued the qualities he brought to the role," said Dr John Williams, Clinical Director of Anaesthetics and Theatres.

Mr Williams recalled Mr Subramanian's first consultant post at the hospital and how in the subsequent six years, he went on to lead some innovative anaesthetic techniques, presenting nationally and internationally his work on anaesthesia for breast surgery.

"Away from work, he was a devoted family man and a man whose faith meant a lot to him. Our thoughts are with his family at this time," he said.

Dr Kathy McLean, the chair of the NHS trust, also paid tribute to the "committed consultant who took huge pride in his work and will be greatly missed".

"This is a very sad day for the UHDB family and our thoughts are with his close colleagues, who will be here today continuing to provide care for those who need us," she said.