Durban - PATIENTS paid their last respects to Dr Govindaraj Muruvan on Saturday, as the hearse transporting his body stopped outside his surgery in Havenside, Chatsworth.
Muruvan, 69, who also lived in Chatsworth, died on Friday. He had tested positive for Covid-19.
A video of a patient speaking outside the surgery on Saturday was shared on Facebook.
“No one in this community will come close to him. Nowadays, all doctors care about is money, but he had a heart of gold,” said the woman.
“He was always there for us. I can’t tell you the number of times I entered (the surgery) and he treated me with dignity and love. Some doctors do not know their patients by name, but Dr Muruvan knew our names, our backgrounds and our ailments without having to look at our charts.
“Whatever he did at the surgery, he did on his own. He did not have admin staff. He did it all. He was one in a million and unique. I cannot find the words to say what his loss means to me.”
She said that even if a poor person walked into his surgery, he treated the person with love.
“He would take the person in and treat them and take whatever they could afford to give. He was number one.”
A relative, who declined to be named, said: “He was a father figure to us and a pillar of strength to his family, friends and the community. We looked up to him for guidance.”
The relative said the GP opened his practice in 1972.
“And from that day, his patients took precedence over his life. He only took a break to have his lunch after he attended to his patients. He never shied away from work and closed the surgery if there was a family emergency or he was ill. In the past, Dr Muruvan had two strokes.”
The relative said he worked during the lockdown but a month ago he was admitted to hospital.”
“He was initially treated for pneumonia, but two days later he tested positive for Covid-19. We were devastated but we believed he would recover as he always did, but while he was on the ventilator he developed complications with his kidneys. His health took a dip.”
The relative said while they preferred to keep their lives private, they were touched by the number of patients waiting outside Muruvan’s surgery on Saturday to convey their condolences.
“We were surprised to see cars lined up on the road and people of all races there. Patients wept and sang his praises on how charitable he was.”
Suzane Esther Naidoo, another relative, said: “He genuinely cared about people. He had a heart of gold. One of the things that set him apart was that he listened to and gave his attention to children. My boys looked up to him as their hero.
“Being a bit of a petrolhead, I remember the conversations my young sons used to have with him about cars. He would listen attentively as they shared information about internet searches they had made for Porsches, which were his passion. Aside from being a one-of-a -kind doctor, he was kind.
“His memory will remain a blessing to every life he touched.”
Rocky Naidoo, a former ward councillor, said: “Dr Muruvan treated patients as far as Durban North and uMhlanga. He was one of the best. If you had an emergency on Sunday at 5pm or 8pm, his surgery was opened. He even worked on public holidays. He did not have the best of health because of comorbidities, but it never stopped him.”
Tyrone Naidoo, a local doctor who was treated by Muruvan as a child, said: “When I was in medical school, I used to visit him and he would give me advice.
“Losing him has really shaken everyone, especially in the medical field during this pandemic. We love what we do in medicine where we save patients’ lives, but it’s frightening to know what we love the most may also be lethal to us. However, we have to put aside our fears and honour our medical oath to our people just as Dr Muruvan did.”
The cremation was at the Clare Estate Crematorium.
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