Two Senior surgeons and health experts passed away after contracting coronavirus

Dr Mustafa Kamal Pasha Vice-Chancellor  Nishtar Medical University died in Multan, while Dr Younis Hayder Soomro died in karachi

  

 A senior health professional and Nishtar Medical University Vice-Chancellor Dr Mustafa Kamal Pasha succumbed to COVID-19 at a private hospital on Wednesday where he was undergoing treatment. Dr Pasha had been admitted at the private hospital since June 14 after he tested positive for the coronavirus.

According to Pro Vice-Chancellor Dr Masood Ijaz, a team of specialist doctors were treating Dr Pasha. He started experiencing difficulty in breathing three days ago and had been on a ventilator ever since.

However, the doctor's condition worsened after his lungs started bleeding and he succumbed to his ailing condition this morning. Dr Pasha was the first Vice-Chancellor of the Nishtar Medical University and a specialist surgeon.

Dr Pasha was one of the most senior and finest  surgeon in Multan. His death is big loss for the people of Multan.    

Dr Pasha was diagnosed with Covid-19 on June 14 and was under treatment at Ch Pervaiz Elahi Institute of Cardiology, Nishtar Medical University's principal Dr Iftikhar said. He was shifted to a ventilator on July 6, he added.

The University of Health Sciences, Lahore, also issued a condolence statement over the doctor's death, saying that Dr Pasha "lost his life as a frontline soldier in the war against Covid-19".

"A good soul has passed on, a good man has gone up to heaven. With a heavy heart, we part our beloved Prof Mustafa Kamal Pasha," the university said in its statement.

Meanwhile, renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr Younis Hayder Soomro also passed away due to the coronavirus in Karachi on Wednesday, according to Pakistan Medical Association Secretary General Qaiser Sajjad.

Speaking to Dawn.com, Sajjad said that Soomro had been diagnosed with the respiratory illness about a month ago. He was under treatment at the Ziauddin Hospital in Clifton where he practiced and had been on a ventilator for the past 15 days after complications arose due to his age, he said.

"He was a senior orthopedic surgeon and was a role model for young doctors in his field," Sajjad said. The PMA regretted losing a senior doctor because of the virus, he added.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari paid tribute to the late doctor, saying "professionals like Dr Soomro are the real heroes of the country". "He set a new standard by working tirelessly during the pandemic," he said.

Bilawal also paid tribute to the services of other health workers battling the country's Covid-19 outbreak on the frontlines.

                                                                   Naila Chaudhry