LONDON: Leading British-Pakistani cancer specialist, hailing from Lahore, has lost his life to COVID-19 while working on the front-line fighting the deadly coronavirus in the United Kingdom.
Dr Tariq Shafi was 61, completely healthy and had 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, and children.
Family and friends have described Dr Tariq Shafi as a noble doctor and a good man who cared deeply for his patients and continued to look after his cancer patients until the time he was hospitalised.
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 Tariq Shafi, originally from Lahore, worked as a Consultant Haematologist at Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford, Kent – just outside of London. His friends described him as amongst the finest doctor.
“Tariq passed away in the blessed month of Ramadan in line of duty. Even after he had developed symptoms of coronavirus and isolated at home, he continued to do telephone clinics,” his wife Varda said.
Shafi worked in Saudi, UK but never forgot Pakistan
Dr Tariq 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 helped young Pakistani doctors to come to the UK for further training.
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 Tariq Shafi continued to work at his hospital on daily basis. Dr Shafi convinced the authorities to let his ward continue to operate as a cancer centre to ensure care for patients.
Read more: Senior doctor passes away in Peshawar after contracting COVID-19
