Highly Respected London GP, Dr Augustine Obaro Dies From COVID-19

Dr Obaro, who worked at Addison Road Medical Practice in
Walthamstow, London for the last 17 years, died on 1 January after
a short battle with coronavirus, his practice
confirmed^[1].

Dr Obaro, 63, moved to the UK from Nigeria in 1999 to start GP
training and went on to play a major role in his community –
supporting fellow African doctors in the UK and serving as part of
the Waltham Forest GP Federation.

The latest GP death during the pandemic follows repeated BMA
calls for the government to prioritise vaccination of frontline
staff against COVID-19. Dr Obaro is the thirteenth GP from a black,
Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) background to die from
coronavirus.

Patient tributes
Dr Obaro played a key role in out-of-hours GP services, was active
in his local community and continued his professional development
by completing a postgraduate diploma in diabetes with the
University of Leicester in 2015.

He was completing further postgraduate education to become a
trainer in general practice before his death. Patients have paid
tribute to Dr Obaro on Twitter, with one highlighting the good care
they had been given by him.

One said: ‘Have just heard. This is horrendous. He was wonderful
with my youngest when she was very ill – am heartbroken for his
family. He was a great doctor and I believe him to have been a
great man… R.I.P.’

Another wrote simply: ‘Our GP just died of Covid. So close to
having the vaccine. Really sad.’

Healthcare worker deaths
In a statement Waltham Forest chair Dr Ken Aswani and Walthamstow
LMC chair Dr Gabby Ivbijaro said: ‘Dr Obaro was very well liked by
fellow staff and patients. This is a tragic loss of a highly
respected frontline health worker in Walthamstow, who is fondly
remembered by the CCG, LMC and local GP organisations.

‘Dr Obaro also carried out a significant amount of charitable
work, returning to Nigeria with his wife every year to spend time
doing voluntary work to improve local healthcare provision in his
native village. He was very involved with his community there and
also supported fellow African doctors in the UK. His generosity and
benign leadership qualities led to him being given the nickname
“King” from a young age.’

They added: ‘Dr Augustine Obaro will be sadly missed by patients
and staff at Addison Road Medical Practice, colleagues,
acquaintances and family throughout the UK, Africa and America and
especially by his loving wife Elizabeth and sons Raphael, Charles,
Osebi and Christopher.’

BMA chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul recently called for frontline
healthcare staff to be vaccinated ‘as soon as possible’ – alerting
the government to reports from doctors that vaccines were being
done on ‘a sporadic and ad hoc basis’, and ‘without
prioritisation’.

Staff shortages
He said: ‘If healthcare workers fall ill from being infected and
are unable to work it will be devastating for the health service at
this time of critical pressure and will compound the problems
hospitals and GP practices are already struggling with regarding
staff shortages. There is also a very real risk of this impeding
the roll-out of the vaccine itself which is reliant on delivery by
healthcare staff.’

Over a dozen GPs from BAME communities have now died from
COVID-19. The British International Doctors Association and the
RCGP have previously asked the government to clarify the omission
of BAME communities from the COVID-19 vaccine priority list.

A tribute to the GPs who have died from COVID-19 can be
found
here.^[2]

Dr Obaro, who worked at Addison Road Medical Practice in
Walthamstow, London for the last 17 years, died on 1 January after
a short battle with coronavirus, his practice
confirmed^[1].

Dr Obaro, 63, moved to the UK from Nigeria in 1999 to start GP
training and went on to play a major role in his community –
supporting fellow African doctors in the UK and serving as part of
the Waltham Forest GP Federation.

The latest GP death during the pandemic follows repeated BMA
calls for the government to prioritise vaccination of frontline
staff against COVID-19. Dr Obaro is the thirteenth GP from a black,
Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) background to die from
coronavirus.

Patient tributes
Dr Obaro played a key role in out-of-hours GP services, was active
in his local community and continued his professional development
by completing a postgraduate diploma in diabetes with the
University of Leicester in 2015.

He was completing further postgraduate education to become a
trainer in general practice before his death. Patients have paid
tribute to Dr Obaro on Twitter, with one highlighting the good care
they had been given by him.

One said: ‘Have just heard. This is horrendous. He was wonderful
with my youngest when she was very ill – am heartbroken for his
family. He was a great doctor and I believe him to have been a
great man… R.I.P.’

Another wrote simply: ‘Our GP just died of Covid. So close to
having the vaccine. Really sad.’

Healthcare worker deaths
In a statement Waltham Forest chair Dr Ken Aswani and Walthamstow
LMC chair Dr Gabby Ivbijaro said: ‘Dr Obaro was very well liked by
fellow staff and patients. This is a tragic loss of a highly
respected frontline health worker in Walthamstow, who is fondly
remembered by the CCG, LMC and local GP organisations.

‘Dr Obaro also carried out a significant amount of charitable
work, returning to Nigeria with his wife every year to spend time
doing voluntary work to improve local healthcare provision in his
native village. He was very involved with his community there and
also supported fellow African doctors in the UK. His generosity and
benign leadership qualities led to him being given the nickname
“King” from a young age.’

They added: ‘Dr Augustine Obaro will be sadly missed by patients
and staff at Addison Road Medical Practice, colleagues,
acquaintances and family throughout the UK, Africa and America and
especially by his loving wife Elizabeth and sons Raphael, Charles,
Osebi and Christopher.’

BMA chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul recently called for frontline
healthcare staff to be vaccinated ‘as soon as possible’ – alerting
the government to reports from doctors that vaccines were being
done on ‘a sporadic and ad hoc basis’, and ‘without
prioritisation’.

Staff shortages
He said: ‘If healthcare workers fall ill from being infected and
are unable to work it will be devastating for the health service at
this time of critical pressure and will compound the problems
hospitals and GP practices are already struggling with regarding
staff shortages. There is also a very real risk of this impeding
the roll-out of the vaccine itself which is reliant on delivery by
healthcare staff.’

Over a dozen GPs from BAME communities have now died from
COVID-19. The British International Doctors Association and the
RCGP have previously asked the government to clarify the omission
of BAME communities from the COVID-19 vaccine priority list.

A tribute to the GPs who have died from COVID-19 can be
found
here.^[2]