New York: An Indian-American father and daughter, both doctors in New Jersey, have died due to the COVID-19. The Governor of New jersey Phil Murphy described their demise as ‘particularly tough’. He hailed them for dedicating their lives for others.
Acts of sacrifice
Satyender Dev Khanna, 78 and his daughter 43-year-old Priya fell victim to COVID-19. Satyender was a surgeon. He served as head of the surgical departments for multiple hospitals across New Jersey for decades. Priya on the other hand, was Chief of Residents at Union Hospital.
“Dr Satyender Dev Khanna and Dr Priya Khanna were father and daughter. They both dedicated their lives to helping others. This is a family dedicated to health and medicine. Our words cannot amply express our condolences,” New Jersey Governor Murphy tweeted Thursday. “Both dedicated their lives to helping others and we lost both of them to COVID-19,” Murphy said.
‘Pioneering’ doctor
Satyender passed away at the Clara Maass Medical Center where he had worked for more than 35 years. Murphy described him as a ‘pioneering doctor’. He was one of the first surgeons to perform laparoscopic surgery in the state of New Jersey. He is being remembered by colleagues as a ‘gentle and caring physician’.
Caring doctor who taught her students well
Priya did all of her medical training in New Jersey. She then did her fellowship in nephrology in South Jersey with the Cooper Health System. Like her father, she too worked at Clara Maass, where she died.
Priya was also Medical Director at two dialysis centers in Essex County. She ‘took pride’ in teaching the next generation of doctors, Murphy said, He added that the ICU physician who cared for Priya was trained and taught by her as well.
“Priya will be remembered as a caring and selfless person who put others first. And even while in the hospital, fighting her own battle, she continued to check up on her mom and dad and her family,” Murphy said. “This is a family, by the way, dedicated to health and medicine,” added Murphy.
All in the family
The governor spoke with Satyender’s wife Komlish Khanna, who is a pediatrician. The couple has two more daughters – Sugandha, an emergency medicine physician and Anisha Khanna, a pediatrician.
Agencies
