Daily Times

British Pakistani doctors have the highest number of deaths after contracting the coronavirus while working on frontline saving lives.

Official figures show that six out of all the 25 NHS doctors who have tragically died treating the COVID-19 patients were born in Pakistan.

Dr Habib Zaidi was the first doctor in the UK to have lost his life due to the deadly virus. He became ill on March 24 and died just 24 hours later in hospital. Dr Zaid, 76, came to the UK from Pakistan in the early 1970s and worked for more than 45 years as a General Practitioner (GB) along with his wife Dr Tatat Zaidi at the family practise in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. Their four children all work in the medical profession. Dr Zaidi’s son is a haematologist consultant in London. His daughters are a trainee surgeon, a dentist and a GP. One of his daughters, Dr Sarah Zaidi, said Dr Zaidi’s death was “reflective of his sacrifice” and he had a “vocational attitude to service”.

Dr Syed Zeeshan Haider was the second doctor of Pakistani origin who lost his life battling against the COVID-19. Dr Zeehan, 79 was a senior partner at Valance Medical Centre, in Dagenham, East London. Dr Haider, who died on 6 April, also worked for more than 30 years as a senior homeopathic physician at the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine. Family sources said that Dr Zeeshan was born in Rawalpindi, received his medical qualification from Khyber Medical College, Peshawar and came to the UK in earlier 1960’s to continue his medical career. In tribute to her father, Samina Haider described Dr Haider as a “selfless and compassionate” doctor of more than 50 years’ experience.

Dr Khalid Jamil, 57, passed away on April 14 at his workplace, Watford General Hospital, after a short battle with COVID-19. Family sources said on April 5, Jamil was sent home from work after becoming unwell. On April 11, he was rushed to hospital and taken into an intensive care unit. Sadly, three days later, Dr Jamil died, leaving behind his wife Rubina, daughter Sumaiyah, 22, and 14-year-old son, Rayhan. Mr Jamil came to the UK from Pakistan, where he qualified as a medical doctor.

Pakistani born Dr Mamoona Rana became the first UK female doctors to sacrifice her life in the national war against the coronavirus. Dr Rana 49 was a trainee registrar in psychiatry at North East London Foundation Trust (NELFT). Mamoona Rana, the mother of eight year old daughter was born in Lahore and did her medical qualification from Pakistan and move to the UK with her husband Dr Azeem Qurashi who is also a senior doctor at Newham Hospital London. According to Dr Qurashi, Rana developed COVID-19 symptoms on April 8. Two days later, both of them had tested positive for coronavirus. On April 11, Dr Rana started having breathing difficulties and was taken to Whips Cross Hospital’s Accident and Emergency (A&E) in East London. She was then shifted to Princess Alexandra Hospital on April 11 and put on a ventilator as she faced breathing problems. She passed away on April 16.

Bolton based Acute Medical Consultant Dr Nasir Khan was a locum at Dewsbury and District Hospital and would commute from the family home in Bolton to care for patients. He contracting the virus while treating his patients and tested positive for the COVID-19 on return from work. He passed away on 29 April after being on the ventilator for two week at his local Bolton hospital. Dr Khan 46 , father of three was born in Manshera, KPK Pakistan and did his MBBS from Khyber Medical College, Peshawar. In 2002, he moved to Ireland and worked there as a medical professional, he moved to the UK in 2015 and settled in Bolton. Local community leaders said that Dr Khan was an active member of the British Pakistani community.