Coronavirus: 'Selfless' Dr Syed Waqqar Ali dies with Covid-19
- Published
Dr Syed Waqqar Ali treated Covid-19 patients before contracting the virus himself
A Dublin hospital doctor who died with Covid-19 after treating patients with the disease "lost his life to his profession," his daughter has said.
Dr Syed Waqqar Ali died in Dublin's Mater Hospital after spending three months in intensive care, where he was treated by his hospital colleagues.
His daughter described him as "brave" and "extremely dedicated" to his job.
The Mater Hospital also paid tribute, saying he had provided "selfless emergency care to Covid-19 patients".
Dr Ali, who was 59-years-old, lived in Tyrrelstown, Dublin, with his wife and five children, the youngest of whom is eight.
'Profound sadness'
Speaking outside the family home, his eldest daughter Samar Fatima Ali said he was an "outstanding doctor" and "the best dad that we could have ever asked for".
"Our father has been incredibly selfless, not only through this pandemic but his whole life," she told Irish broadcaster RTÉ.
Samar Fatima Ali, who very recently qualified as a doctor herself, said it had been her "dream" to work with her father.
"He told me that he'd guide me and we were supposed to work together," she said.
"But he's been incredibly dedicated to his profession and he lost his life to his profession."
The Mater said Dr Ali would be remembered by colleagues as a hardworking and diligent doctor
In a statement earlier on Wednesday, the Mater Hospital expressed "profound sadness" at Dr Ali's death.
It described him as a "frontline healthcare worker" who had worked as locum in a number of hospitals during the pandemic.
The statement said Dr Ali was due to begin a shift at the Mater in April when he felt unwell.
He asked to be seen as a patient and was admitted immediately with Covid-19.
The Mater said his colleagues remember him as a "hardworking and diligent doctor with a humble and down to earth personality".
The hospital extended deepest sympathies to his wife, family and loved ones.
'He lost his life helping people'
His daughter said the last three months of her father's life had been a very difficult time for their family.
"There are no words for the battle that we were fighting every day and the battle that my father's been fighting 24/7 for the last three months," she said.
The newly-qualified doctor also appealed to the public to take the threat of Covid-19 seriously.
"Don't wait until it happens to you to realise how severe it can get," she said.
"Our father went to help people - he lost his life helping people - but don't take risks, don't take chances, because life is too precious."
Dr Ali's death brings to eight the number of healthcare workers confirmed to have died with Covid-19 in the Republic of Ireland.
- Published28 April 2020
