The colleagues of the deceased doctor said that he died due to a cardiac arrest. (File photo: AP)

A Guwahati-based doctor who allegedly took anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine amid the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak died at a private hospital in the capital city of Assam.

The colleagues of the deceased doctor said that he died due to a cardiac arrest.

According to the reports, 44-year-old Dr Utpal Barman - a senior anaesthetist at Guwahati-based Pratiksha Hospital was admitted at Guwahati Neurological Research Centre (GNRC) on Sunday evening following his heart-related complications.

Pratiksha Hospital Superintendent Dr Nirmal Kumar Hazarika said that on Sunday he and other doctors of Pratiksha Hospital had rushed to the residence of Dr Utpal Barman and admitted him to another hospital in Guwahati.

"He complained of some chest pain and other complications and we immediately admitted him to GNRC hospital. All symptoms have indicated that, it could be marked gum infection," Dr Nirmal Kumar Hazarika said.

Dr Nirmal Hazarika said that earlier Dr Utpal Barman took the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine.

"Many of doctors have taken hydroxychloroquine, they are having this drug. I came to know that one super specialty hospital in Karnataka had directed the employees to have this medicine. They had also directed to their employees to collect the medicine from their store. Many doctors have accepted this. We know that every medicine has adverse effect," Dr Nirmal Kumar Hazarika said.

The senior doctor of Pratiksha Hospital added that some other doctors had also taken hydroxychloroquine along with Dr Utpal Barman.

However, it is not clear if the doctor's death is linked with hydroxychloroquine.

The national taskforce for Covid-19 constituted by Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has recommended the use of hydroxychloroquine for prophylaxis of SARS-CoV-2 infection for high-risk population.