Padma Shree awardee and former national president of the Indian Medical Association Dr KK Aggarwal has passed away after battling Covid-19 for several days at New Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

Sixty-two-year-old Dr. Aggarwal was admitted to AIIMS after his condition deteriorated and was on ventilator support for the past one week.

A cardiologist by profession, he was also the head of the Heart Care Foundation of India. He also received the Dr BC Roy Award in 2005 and Padma Shree in 2010.

"Ever since he became a doctor, Padma Shri Awardee Dr KK Aggarwal dedicated his life to the welfare of the public and raising health awareness," a note by his family posted on his Twitter account said. He did his schooling in Delhi and completed MBBS from Nagpur University. He was active on social media and used to post videos of him talking about various aspects of Covid-19.

The note said even during the pandemic, he made constant efforts to educate the masses and was able to reach out to over 100 million people through numerous videos and educational programmes and save countless lives.

"He wanted his life to be celebrated and not mourned," the statement said.

It added that "his spirit of spreading positivity in the direst of circumstances must be kept alive in each one of us. Let us remember him for his work and indomitable spirit."