Muslim doctor who urged PM Johnson to provide protective gear dies of virus
A British doctor who warned United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson that front-line health staff needed adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) has died of COVID-19.
Abdul Mabud Chowdhury, a 53-year-old urology consultant at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Romford, worked for the NHS for more than 20 years after his migration from Bangladesh.
He died in hospital on Wednesday at the age of 53, after spending 15 days.
Chowdhury urged the prime minister to provide PPE for “every and every NHS health worker in the UK” in a Facebook post on March 18 directly addressing Johnson, as he called on him to quick-track testing for medical personnel.
Doctors, nurses and other staff in direct contact with patients were trying to help, he wrote, “but we are also human beings [with] human rights like others [trying] to live in this world disease free with our family and children.”
He also appreciated moral support being given to NHS workers, “we have to protect ourselves and our families and kids in this global disaster crisis by using appropriate PPE and remedies,” he said.
“I hope we are by default entitled to get this minimal support for our safe medical practice.”
Adnan Pavel, a friend of Chowdhury, described him as an “enthusiastic” mentor to young British Bangladeshi men in the UK and a selfless philanthropist to needy Bangladeshis citizens.
