Indian-origin fatherdaughter doctor duo dies of COVID-19 in US

NEW YORK: An Indianamerican father and daughter, both doctors in New Jersey, have died due to the COVID19, with Governor Phil Murphy describing their demise as particularly tough" and hailed them for dedicating their lives for others.

Satyender Dev Khanna, 78, was a surgeon who served both on staff and as the head of the surgical departments for multiple hospitals across New Jersey for decades.

Priya Khanna, 43, was a double board certified in both internal medicine and nephrology. She was Chief of Residents at Union Hospital, now part of RWJ Barnabas Health.

"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 on Thursday.

Both dedicated their lives to helping others and we lost both of them to COVID-19, Murphy said during a press conference on Thursday, saying their demise is a "particularly tough one.

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 who was one of the first surgeons to perform laparoscopic surgery in the state. He is being remembered by colleagues as a gentle and caring physician."

And for a doctor, I'm not one, but I would bet, I don't think there could be a more fitting way to be remembered, or a nurse or a healthcare worker of any kind, Murphy said, adding that the doctor had a passion for bicycling, and he often found peace from the hustle of the hospital in biking along the Jersey Shore.