India is currently dealing with a devastating second Covid-19 wave that has swept through the nation, crushing the country's health infrastructure and overburdening frontline medical workers.
The second wave of corona in the country has led to an increase in the number of patients, due to which many were unable to get beds, oxygen and medicine for their relatives. Some died outside the hospital due to lack of treatment. 38-year-old Dr Nabila Sadiq, an assistant professor at Jamia Millia Islamia, has died of corona. Her corona test came back positive last week. She also tweeted and asked for ICU bed for herself on Twitter.
Dr. Nabila Sadiq was a PhD scholar from JNU. According to her colleagues, till April 20, Dr. Nabila was helping her students with their studies. Ten days before Nabila’s death, her mother Nuzhat (76) had also died of Covid-related complications. Her father was hospitalised for Covid but was eventually discharged and is under home quarantine. Nabila wasn’t aware of her mother’s death. She was worried about her parents. She last tweeted on May 2: “At this rate no one will stay alive in Delhi at least.”
"When we came to know about Nabila's health, I went to her home with some fellow students. Then we started looking for a bed for her. We then got a bed at Alshifa Hospital. She tested positive for covid. 2-4 students always stayed in the hospital. Meanwhile, Nabila's mother died at Sanjay Gandhi Hospital. But Nabila's condition was serious and we didn't tell her anything, said Laraib Neyazi, an MA student from Jamia.
Her mother's body was cremated on May 7 with the help of students. At the same time, Nabila's health had become critical. Her students called the hospitals in Delhi-NCR for oxygen beds. Nabila's oxygen level had dropped to 32. On Saturday night, Dr. Nabila was placed on a ventilator. But she was not responding to medicines and treatment. She died around 11 pm on Monday.
On Tuesday, some colleagues and students cremated her body where Nabila's mother was cremated 10 days earlier. Nabila's father is 80 years old and a retired teacher at Aligarh Muslim University. Dr. Nabila's departure has come as a shock to many.