COVID-19: A senior Pakistani doctor loses his life in fight against coronavirus
Eminent Dr Abdul Qadir Soomoro who got COVID-19 while treating patients, hailed as a hero
Dubai: A senior Pakistani doctor who was infected with coronavirus while treating patients, died in isolation on Monday.
An eminent physician and determatolgist Dr Abdl Qadir Soomro died of COVID-19 in isolation while under treatment at Indus Hospital in Karachi. Dr Soomor who contracted the COVID-19 virus was hailed as a hero by the community as he lost his life while treating people suffering from pandemic. His death has also raised safety concerns among health professionals who have been fighting the pandemic on the front-line.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah paid his condolences on the doctor’s demise. “Doctors are the first line of defence in this pandemic. Te best tribute we can give to this hero is by steadfastly fighting the deadly virus,” Shah added.
Dr Soomro worked as medical superintendent of the Alkhidmat Hospital in Tharparkar — a remote area in Sindh province. “He had been on life support for the last several days after being infected with coronavirus,” Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) Karachi President Dr Azeemuddin said.
The PIMA statement says that Dr Soomro contracted the virus while treating his patients in the Gulshan-e-Hadeed locality of the city, and when his condition deteriorated, he approached the Indus Hospital Karachi where he tested positive for the viral ailment and was admitted to the isolation ward.
At the start of this month, his condition deteriorated further and he was put on life support. He remained on the ventilator for four to five days before he passed away.
Sindh Minister Saeed Ghani paid tribute to Dr Soomoro and hailed him as a hero who sacrificed his life while fighting against coronavirus pandemic.
“He serves the patients without fear bt at same time our these front-line soldiers while performing their duties take extra care,” Ghani added.
Dr Soomro was born on February 1,1956 in the Shikarpur district of Sindh and did his MBBS from the Chandka Medical College Larkana. After specialising in dermatology, he started practising in the province.
Dr Malik said Dr Soomro was a former chief medical officer (CMO) of the Pakistan Steel Mills, but most importantly, he was a visionary who helped with the establishment of several charity health facilities in Sindh, including the Alkhidmat Hospital Tharparkar and Farida Yaqoob Alkhidmat Hospital in Gulshan-e-Hadeed, and as well as those in Malir.
He was also the incumbent vice president for Al-Khidmat Foundation Sindh and its former general secretary. Dr Soomro spent his whole life serving humanity and died while assisting his nation in the fight against coronavirus.
The nationwide tally of COVID-19 patients rose to 3,918 with 1,918 cases in Punjab, 932 in Sindh, 500 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 202 in Balochistan, 211 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 83 in Islamabad, and 18 in Pakistan Administered Kashmir. Some 54 patients have lost their lives while 429 have recovered until Tuesday.