Libyans paid tribute to Dr. Sadeq Elhowsh, a Libyan doctor in Wales, who died from COVID-19 on Monday.
Elhowsh, a long-serving orthopedic surgeon with St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals - NHS Trust, succumbed to the novel corona virus, after serving more than 17 years in the medical career.
In two separate statements, the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Health in the National Accord Government announced the death of the Libyan doctor. The Health ministry said that he died of COVID-19 after contacting the virus while trying to save a patient’s life. He was buried on Tuesday in the United Kingdom.
Born in Tripoli in 1961, Elhowsh was married to a Libyan woman and father of four children. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Tripoli in 1987 and worked at the Tripoli Central Hospital until 1992. He then moved to Britain to complete his studies and obtain a British fellowship for orthopedics surgery. He worked in British hospitals for many years until his death.
British Ambassador to Libya Nicholas Hopton conveyed his condolences to the doctor’s family, saying in a statement: “Very sad to hear of the death of Sadeq Elwosh from Covid19, a Libyan doctor working in the UK. We thank him for all he did for our NHS, and the many other Libyans doing the same. Our thoughts are with his family.”
Videos of the late doctor’s funeral were posted on social media in Libya, showing a solemn goodbye, as his body was transferred from the hospital where he was working in North Wales, in the presence of a number of his students, members of the Libyan community and British citizens.
