A Russian doctor set himself on fire over guilt after infecting his family with Covid-19. He allegedly drove into a wasteland near Volgograd, covered himself with gas and struck a match after that.
Dr. Nikolai Shinkarenko, 70, a top lung surgeon came out of his retirement in order to contribute to the health crisis by giving medical help.
According to the Daily Star, the veteran doctor, honed by 42 years of medical experience, determined that he could not be laid back at home, knowing he was still able to help a lot of people in need of medical attention in Russia and decided to get back to the medical frontline.
Andrei Kalmykov, chief doctor of Mikhailovsk Central District Hospital in Volgograd said that Shinkarenko’s wife, Nelli was not in favor of his decision to get back in the field. Kalmykov confirmed it but also told that the senior doctor’s wife understood her husband's decision because she is a doctor herself.
He was able to join the battle against SARS-CoV-2, treating hospitalized patients infected by the virus, until one day, he himself got infected and had to be admitted to the same hospital.
Dr. Shinkarenko, who was said to be a father of three and a grandfather, had managed to work even on sick leave and also cheered up patients in his ward.
But it came to the point that he even infected his own family, Dr. Kalmykov said. And after that, he became “plagued” by guilt as he thought that it was all his fault.
Shinkarenko’s family recovered from the virus however he still suffered from remorse even though no one had ever held him responsible for spreading the virus.
“Nikolai decided that it was his fault that everyone got sick, but no one blamed him for this, neither his family nor his colleagues, nobody,” the Russian doctor’s colleague stated.
Shinkarenko’s wife was deeply shocked and according to her, they have no idea why her husband decided to end his own life.
Russia was the first country in the world to authorize a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine but only over 1 million of Moscow’s 12.7 million citizens have been given at least one shot of Covid vaccine as of mid-April.
