Dr Mohammed Fawaz, a 24-year-old doctor in Delhi, India, wasted no time when there were no blood donors available for his critically ill patient. On July 21, Fawaz not only performed the emergency surgery but also donated blood to the patient, and he is being praised for his “humane” act.
Fawaz, who works with the department of surgery at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), told local news outlets that a patient in his mid-30s came to the emergency room on Tuesday and was suffering from septic shock due to an infection in his lower left leg.
Doctors told him that the infection had spread across the leg and he had to be operated on at the earliest.
With not enough blood available immediately, Fawaz decided to donate some to go ahead with the surgery quickly.
“The patient came with his wife, who was not physically fit to donate blood. I wanted to take him to the operation theatre and remove the infected parts so that he can be stabilised. We couldn’t wait for his attendants to reach the hospital, so I decided to donate blood and get a few more units from the blood bank,” the medical practitioner was quoted as saying by local media outlets.
The patient suffered from low haemoglobin and doctors had to intubate him. There was not enough blood available in the bank.
Hours after receiving the blood, the patient's haemoglobin levels finally stabilised and a team of doctors, including Fawaz, performed the surgery.
Now, Fawaz has become a local hero and social media users are praising him online.
Sharing a picture of the doctor donating blood, tweep @007danishkhan wrote: “During the corona[virus] epidemic, a doctor from Delhi AIIMS has set an example. The patient who arrived in Delhi AIIMS needed immediate blood and the patient's family did not reach the hospital. Doctor Fawaz first donated blood to the patient and later operated on him.”
“Salutes for #Dr_Mohd_Fawaz. Dr Fawaz donated blood to a critical patient and then went to join the team of doctors for his operation. He is a junior resident doctor at #AIIMS, Delhi. This is wonderful example of humanity,” posted another Twitter user, @tripti29519761.
User @drasmalhi tweeted: “He is a doctor, surgeon, blood donor and most importantly [a] great human being…”
