The NHS workers who have died during the Covid-19 outbreak
From housekeepers to specialists, dozens of frontline workers have died in the fight against the pandemic.
A senior doctor remembered by his children as a “superhero dad” is among the latest of dozens of NHS workers who have died after contracting coronavirus.
The Government has confirmed 19 deaths amongst those working for the health service, but announcements from NHS trusts and tributes from loved ones indicate the true number is higher still.
Here are the NHS workers the PA news agency has confirmed to have died during the coronavirus pandemic so far:
– Dr Peter Tun, associate specialist
The father-of-two worked as an associate specialist in neurorehabilitation at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading for more than 21 years.
The 62-year-old, who died in the intensive care unit at the hospital on Monday, was called a “superhero dad” by his two sons in a tribute.
“To us, he was simply the best human we know and we will miss him every day,” they said.
– Josiane Zauma Ebonja Ekoli, nurse
Aged 55, the mother of five was an agency nurse who lived in Leeds and worked at Harrogate Hospital. She died on April 13.
Her daughter said: “It meant everything to be a nurse, she’s being doing it for as long as I remember – more than 30 years.”
– Cheryl Williams, ward housekeeper
North Middlesex University Hospital said Ms Williams would be remembered as a “much-loved colleague”.
Ms Williams, who worked as a housekeeper on an elderly patient ward at the hospital in Edmonton, north London, died on April 12.
– Maureen Ellington, healthcare assistant
Grandmother Mrs Ellington, who was in her early 60s, worked at Southmead Hospital in Bristol and passed away on April 12.
She had worked for the NHS for over 25 years at both Frenchay and Southmead hospitals.
Her family said: “She would light up any room she entered. She will always be in our hearts.”
– Leilani Medel, nurse
Mrs Medel, who worked as an agency nurse in south Wales, was described as a “wonderful and caring person”. Her employers, Cardiff-based Hoop Recruitment, said: “The nursing profession has lost a warm-natured and beautiful nurse who cared for so many vulnerable people during her nursing career.”
– Amarante Dias, hospital worker
Amarante Dias, who worked at the Weston General Hospital in north Somerset, was described as a “valued and much-loved colleague” and would be “greatly missed”.
– Melujean Ballesteros, nurse
The “dedicated and very caring” Filipino nurse, 60, died at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London, on April 12, just two days after being admitted.
– Kevin Smith, plaster technician
Doncaster Royal Infirmary confirmed the death of plaster technician Kevin Smith on April 12, following a “brief, but courageous, battle with Covid-19”.
He worked at the hospital for more than 35 years and was “renowned for his warm personality, diligence and compassion”, the trust said.
– Oscar King Jr, hospital porter
Aged 45, Oscar King Jr, a Filipino porter at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, passed away on April 11.
He was said to have worked for the hospital for more than a decade, “always doing his job with great enthusiasm and joy”.
– Elbert Rico, hospital porter
A colleague of Mr King Jr at John Radcliffe, Mr Rico worked as a porter there since moving to the UK from the Philippines in 2004 “and loved the work that he did”, according to a fundraising page published by his family.
– Gareth Roberts, nurse
The death of the “extremely popular” Mr Roberts, who came out of retirement in 2015 having worked since the 1980s, was confirmed by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board on April 11.
– Donna Campbell, healthcare support worker
Described by colleagues as “beautiful and kind-hearted”, the healthcare support worker from the Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff passed away at the University Hospital of Wales on April 10.
– Sara Dee Trollope, nurse
A 51-year-old matron for older adult mental health services in Hillingdon, west London, Mrs Trollope died at Watford General hospital on April 10 after testing positive for the virus.
The mother-of-four was described as “an example to every one of us” by her daughter.
– Julie Omar, nurse
Aged 52, the trauma and orthopaedics nurse at Redditch’s Alexandra Hospital, in Worcestershire, died at home while self-isolating with symptoms on April 10.
– Amor Gatinao, nurse
The nurse is reported to have died on the morning of April 10, having worked at St Charles Hospital, west London.
– Aimee O’Rourke, nurse
Aged 39, the nurse and mother died at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital (QEQMH) in Margate, Kent, where she worked, on Thursday April 9.
– Dr Abdul Mabud Chowdhury, consultant urologist
The 53-year-old wrote a Facebook post asking Prime Minister Boris Johnson to urgently provide every NHS worker with PPE just five days before he died on the night of Wednesday April 8.
– Dr Edmond Adedeji, doctor
The 62-year-old worked as a locum registrar in the emergency department of Great Western Hospital in Swindon, Wiltshire, and died “doing a job he loved” on April 8.
– Fayez Ayache, GP
The 76-year-old general practitioner and grandfather died in Ipswich Hospital on April 8, having been diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia and coronavirus.
– Elsie Sazuze, care home nurse
Mrs Sazuze, who worked for Wolverhampton-based agency Totallycare, died on April 7 at Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield, according to the BBC, who spoke with her husband Ken.
– Leilani Dayrit, nurse
Described as a “ray of sunshine”, Ms Dayrit, a Filipino nurse who worked at St Cross Hospital in Rugby, died on April 7.
– Donald Suelto, nurse
The 51-year-old, who worked at Hammersmith Hospital in west London, died on April 7 after going into self-isolation with coronavirus symptoms.
– Alice Kit Tak Ong, nurse
The 70-year-old, originally from Hong Kong, died on April 7 after 44 years of working for the NHS. She was described by her daughter Melissa as “generous to everyone else before herself”.
– Janice Graham, nurse
The 58-year-old healthcare support worker from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) became the first nurse in Scotland to die as a result of the coronavirus pandemic on April 6.
– Syed Haider, GP
The family doctor worked in Dagenham, east London, and died in hospital on April 6 after it is believed he developed coronavirus symptoms.
– Barbara Moore, patient discharge planner
Described as an “unsung hero”, the 54-year-old grandmother died on April 6, the Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said.
– Dr Alfa Saadu, doctor
The 68-year-old, who had returned to work from retirement, died on April 6 at the Whittington Hospital in north London.
– Jitendra Rathod, surgeon
A “highly regarded” associate specialist in cardio-thoracic surgery at the University Hospital of Wales, Mr Rathod died on the morning of April 6.
– Lynsay Coventry, midwife
Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex announced the death of 54-year-old – the first involving a serving NHS midwife after testing positive for the virus – on April 5.
– Emily Perugia, care worker
A care co-ordinator in Hillingdon, north-west London, Ms Perugia was aged just 29 at the time of her death, which was confirmed on April 5.
She was described by a colleague as a “lovely woman, who never said no to any requests”. Her mother, sister, brother and fiance all work for the same NHS trust she represented.
– Glen Corbin, nurse
The 59-year-old had worked at the Park Royal Centre for Mental Health in Harlesden, north-west London, for more than 25 years and his Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust announced his death on April 4.
– Rebecca Mack, nurse
The 29-year-old died on April 5, after going into self-isolation with symptoms. Her friend Sarah Bredin-Kemp said she was an “incredible nurse”.
– Liz Glanister, nurse
Aintree University Hospital said the staff nurse died on Friday April 3, with her family describing the loss as “simply beyond words”.
– John Alagos, nurse
The Mail On Sunday reported that the 27-year-old nurse, who treated coronavirus patients at Watford General Hospital, died after a shift on Friday April 3.
– Areema Nasreen, nurse
Aged 36, Ms Nasreen died on April 2 in intensive care at Walsall Manor Hospital in the West Midlands – where she had worked for 16 years.
– Sami Shousha, researcher
The professor, 79, who had worked at UK cancer research laboratories at London’s Hammersmith and Charing Cross hospitals since 1978, died on April 2.
– Thomas Harvey, nurse
The healthcare assistant, 57, a father-of-seven who worked at Goodmayes Hospital in Ilford, east London, died at home on March 29.
– Dr Amged El-Hawrani, consultant
An ear, nose and throat consultant with University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust (UHDB), the 55-year-old died at the Glenfield Hospital in Leicester on March 28.
– Pooja Sharma, pharmacist
Ms Sharma, a pharmacist at Eastbourne District General Hospital, died unexpectedly on March 26 according to a JustGiving page created in her memory.
– Dr Habib Zaidi, doctor
The GP in Leigh-on-Sea died in intensive care at Southend Hospital, Essex, on March 25, aged 76.
– Dr Adil El Tayar, transplant surgeon
The 63-year-old died at West Middlesex University Hospital in Isleworth, west London, on March 25, working as a locum surgeon before his death.
– Dr Anton Sebastianpillai, consultant
The consultant geriatrician died on April 4, four days after being admitted to the intensive care unit and two weeks after completing his final shift on March 20, according to Kingston Hospital in south-west London.
