A Month After Becoming A Doctor, Sugarcane Harvester's Son Dies Of COVID Complications

A month after Rahul Pawar posted a smiling picture on Facebook saying that he became a doctor, the 25-year-old has died of complications related to Covid-19, in Aurangabad on Wednesday. The picture had garnered congratulatory messages from friends and well-wishers and now, his friends are posting condolences on his timeline.

His family background

Final year medical student Dr Rahul Asha Vishwanath Pawar, a son of a cane harvester, was the first doctor in his family. Dr Pawar, who has an outstanding academic record, was accepted to the five-year MBBS program at Maharashtra Institute of Medical Science and Research (MIMSR), Latur. Rahul's older brother, Sakin, dropped out of school after passing Class X to help him become a doctor. Rahul attended government schools during his early years.

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The young doctor returned to his village, Anandnagar, soon after completing his final examination in April. He started showing symptoms on April 26 and was admitted to Majalgaon Hospital in Beed District. Following his worsening condition, he was moved to MGM Medical College and Hospital in Aurangabad.

¡°By May 6, our internships had started but Rahul was admitted. His brothers would talk to us daily, to understand his condition,¡± Dr Amarnath Gutte, a batch mate said as per The Indian Express.

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Their struggle to fund his treatment

His family had exhausted all means of financing Dr Pawar's treatment at that point when his friends decided to crowd-source it. Several friends contributed to a social media campaign to raise funds on May 20. It was this move that attracted the attention of the authorities, which led the minister of medical education to announce that his treatment would be sponsored.

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¡°All this happened once we took to social media. By then, the hospital had already decided to waive the further cost of his treatment,¡± he said. Dr Gutte and his friends realized Rahul's serious condition when he was placed on a mechanical ventilator even though the family was hopeful he would be able to recover.

¡°The last time he spoke to us on May 15 through video call, he expressed his desire to join internship soon,¡± said Dr Gutte. The young doctor was also infected with mucormycosis in addition to Covid-19. He died Wednesday evening.