A workaholic who went beyond the call of duty

Dr. E.C. Babukutty, who succumbed to COVID-19 last year, was keen on taking care of the community

Dr. E.C. Babukutty, a dedicated doctor and teacher, who succumbed to COVID-19 in November last year, was known to willingly extend a helping hand and make a difference wherever he could. Dr. Babukutty was head of the department of orthopaedics at the Government Medical College Hospital (MCH), Ernakulam, a tertiary care facility for COVID patients in the district. He was 60. A workaholic, he was always adamant about taking care of family and the community, said Dr. Deepak Babu, his son. “He prized education because it brought him out of utter poverty. We come from a Scheduled Caste community, and the need to help people around him was important to him,” Dr. Deepak Babu said. Along with his friends, he had set up Phoenix Charitable Trust that offered scholarships and other assistance to students who were finding it difficult to continue with their studies, though he went about it quietly, without much publicity, he added.