On Tuesday 7th April, a heart surgeon at Cardiff's University Hospital of Wales was declared as the first NHS worker in Wales to have died from Covid-19. The irony of the announcement is that 7th April is celebrated by the World Health Organisation as the World health day in support of nurses, midwives, and doctors.
Earlier last week tributes were paid to four minority doctors with Asian and African heritage who had died of coronavirus whilst serving the NHS. Two Asian-origin nurses and midwives had also passed away owing to coronavirus. Now another doctor has passed away.
“I feel betrayed by the government who are not transparent enough to say that they do not have the ideal supplies and are therefore asking us to put ourselves in harms’ way with suboptimal protection,” a GP not wanting to be named told the British Medical Association (BMA).
No clear data is indicating if Asians are more susceptible to the virus with the NHS not filtering Covid-19 deaths based on their ethnicity. However, funeral directors across the country have reported receiving a higher number of requests than usual.
The Northwick Park hospital has reportedly run out of critical care beds being full after a spike in the emergency cases whereas the Watford hospital had reportedly run out of oxygen. London borough of Harrow accounts for a majority of the Asian population where Northwick Park hospital is located.
“Doctors report being put into situations which contravene the PHE guidance issued last week. They’ve told us they are pressurized to see a patient without adequate protection, or to perform a high-risk procedure where they are at risk of becoming infected, or where they may go on to infect another patient – and all because they don’t have the right PPE. They are putting themselves and the lives of their patients at risk,” noted Chaand Nagpaul CBE, Chair of BMA.
The BMA has been at the forefront of campaigning for proper PPE for doctors.
