Cancer specialist loses life to coronavirus in London

LONDON: A leading Pakistani cancer specialist from Lahore, Dr Tariq Shafi, has lost his life to Covid-19 while working in the frontline against the deadly coronavirus.

Family and friends have described Dr Shafi as a noble doctor and good man who cared deeply for his patients and continued to look after his cancer patients until the time he was put on ventilator — his last wish being for his dozens of cancer patients to be looked after in case he did not survive.

Dr Shafi was only 61, completely healthy and no previous history of any ailment. The former King Edward’s Medical College graduate came to the UK in 2007 with his wife Varda Tariq Shafi, sons Taimur and Umar Tariq Shafi and daughter Meeral Tariq Shafi. Speaking to The News and Geo over the phone, Dr Shafi’s family called him a martyr (Shaheed) who died while fighting Covid-19 to save others and believed that his life was dedicated to treating needy and sick.

Dr Shafi, originally from Lahore, worked as a Consultant Haematologist at Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford, Kent — just outside of London. His friends, who spoke to The News, described him as amongst the finest in his profession who saved dozens of lives through personal interest.

His wife Varda said: “Tariq passed away in the blessed month of Ramadan in line of duty. Even after he had developed symptoms of corona and isolated at home, he continued to do telephone clinics and spoke to his cancer patients. We asked him to take rest and not work, but he wouldn’t listen and said his patients had waited for at least four months on average for the appointment and if he missed speaking to them, their care would be compromised. He was so caring and passionate.”

She described him as a perfect family man who was devoted to the education of his family and welfare of the extended family. Dr Shafi left Pakistan for the UK in 1988, where he worked as a registrar. He then moved to Saudi Arabia in 1994 where he worked in the Military Hospital Riyadh till 2007. He returned to the UK in April 2007 as a Consultant Haematologist at Darent Valley Hospital. He never lost touch with Pakistan and not only helped young Pakistani doctors to come to the UK for further training and work but he also went back regularly and gave his time at Shaukat Khanum Lahore, Services Hospital Lahore and other cancer centres.

Dr Shafi’s son Taimur is a doctor, daughter Meeral is a radiographer and Umar is a dentist. After the corona outbreak in Britain, Dr Shafi continued to work at his hospital on daily basis. As the whole of Darent Valley Hospital was gradually becoming a Covid hospital, Dr Shafi convinced the authorities to let his ward continue to operate as a cancer centre, to ensure continuity of care for cancer patients.

On 2nd April, Dr Shafi developed corona symptoms with mild throat pain and fever. For the next one week, he held telephone clinics over the phone from his home and continued to work non-stop. A week later, he became breathless while still working with his patients over the phone.

Taimur said: “We asked Baba to stop but he said there was no one else to look after his sick patients at such short notice.” On 9th of April, Dr Shafi was admitted to the same hospital where he worked and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit on 12th April. His health unfortunately deteriorated and he was ventilated. He subsequently was taken to St Thomas Hospital in Central London on 24th April.

On the afternoon of 6th May, Dr Shafi passed away despite the best efforts of some of the best doctors in the country to save him.

Taimur Tariq Shafi said his father received the best treatment locally and in St Thomas Hospital and there is nothing more the National Health Service (NHS) staff could have done to save him. “He has returned to his Creator in the blessed month of Ramadan and it’s our faith that he’s a Shaheed looking down on us from the heaven.”

Dr Shafi becomes the 7th Pakistani NHS professional to lose life to Covid-19. Others who have died in the last two months are Dr Habib Zaidi, Dr Furqan Ali Siddiqui, Dr Maimoona Rana, Dr Nasir Khan, Dr Syed Zeeshan Haider and nurse Areema Nasreen. Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities have been disproportionately affected by the viral Covid-19 virus, according to various studies and reports. An earlier analysis by the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) suggested that British Pakistan’s are 2.5 times more likely to die from the viral Covid-19 virus in the UK.