LONDON: A British doctor who warned the UK government that health workers desperately needed more protective equipment has died from COVID-19.
Abdul Mabud Chowdhury, a consultant urologist at Homerton Hospital in east London, spent 15 days in hospital before passing away, Sky News reported.
The Muslim Doctors Association paid tribute to Chowdhury, 53, who was married with two children.
“We are deeply saddened by the death of Dr Abdul Mabud Chowdhury, Consultant Urologist at Homerton Hospital, after fighting for his life from Covid-19,” the association said on its Facebook page.
“He leaves behind his wife and two children. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.”
In his message to Prime Minister Boris Johnson on March 18, Chowdhury pleaded for more equipment to protect health workers.
“Remember we may be doctors/nurses/HCAs/allied health workers who are in direct contact with patients, but we are also human beings to practice human rights like others, to live in this world disease free with our family and children,” he wrote.
“People appreciate us and salute us for our rewarding job which are very inspirational but I would like to say, we have to protect ourselves and our families/kids in this global disaster/crisis by using appropriate PPE and remedies.
“I hope we are by default entitled to get this minimal support for our safe medical practice.
“Otherwise in future our children will lose interest to go to medical school.”
Chowdhury is the latest NHS worker to die after being infected with coronavirus. Many of the medics who have passed away were Muslim, or from Arab or South Asian backgrounds.
They include Adil El-Tayar, a renowned organ transplant specialist, who became the first NHS surgeon to die and Amged El-Hawrani, an ear, nose and throat specialist. Both men were born in Sudan.
