CHATRA: A 34-year-old anaesthetist who agreed at the last minute to accompany a patient to Delhi was among the seven people killed in the air ambulance crash near Simaria in Chatra district on Monday evening.Dr Vikas Kumar Gupta, posted at Ranchi sadar hospital, stepped in after another doctor scheduled to travel with the patient reportedly declined to go at about 5 pm. With little time left, Gupta was requested to take up the medical evacuation assignment.
According to family members, he prioritised duty and immediately agreed to accompany the patient, Sanjay Kumar, on the chartered air ambulance. “He did not think twice. For him, the patient came first. We never imagined that this would be his last journey,” a relative said.The aircraft crashed shortly after take-off, killing all seven on board, including the patient, the medical staff and the flight crew.Gupta, a native of Mainka village under the Madanpur police station of Bihar’s Aurangabad district, left behind his elderly parents, wife, and an eight-year-old son.His wife, Meena Kumari, is an employee of the State Bank of India and is posted in Ranchi.His elder brother, Subhash Prasad Gupta, is an officer in the agriculture department, posted in Bokaro, while his sister resides in Delhi. The family is in a state of shock as his body was brought to the Chatra sadar hospital around 7.50 am on Tuesday for the post-mortem.“It is hard to believe that Vikas is no more. This is a shock that I doubt the family will ever recover from,” said Yugesh Kumar, his cousin, while talking to TOI at the Chatra sadar hospital.Gupta completed his MBBS from a medical college in Cuttack and later specialised in anaesthesia. He was actively involved in medical evacuation missions and was known among colleagues for his commitment towards critical care cases.Vikas’s father, Bajrangi Prasad Gupta, broke down as the body was brought to the hospital. “I spoke to him minutes before the aircraft took off. I am finished. (Mai barbad ho gaya),” he cried.He said Vikas got the job in 2015 and served at the Latehar hospital before coming to Ranchi. He got married in 2016. The air ambulance was scheduled to reach Delhi at 8:15, but at 8 pm, he received news about the crash.Gupta said Vikas was a caring son. He also sought proper compensation to secure the future of his eight-year-old grandson.Dr Vikas Kumar Gupta, posted at Ranchi sadar hospital, stepped in after another doctor scheduled to travel with the patient reportedly declined to go at about 5 pm
