SUDANESE JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS

2020; Vol 20, Issue No. 2

EDITORIAL

Sudanese doctors continue to offer their lives around the globe fighting coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

Mustafa Abdalla M. Salih (1), Mohammed Osman Swar (2)

(1) International Editor, Sudanese Journal of Paediatrics, Khartoum, Sudan

(2) Editor-in-Chief, Sudanese Journal of Paediatrics, Khartoum, Sudan

How to cite this article:

Salih MAM, Swar MO. Sudanese doctors continue to offer their lives around the globe fighting coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Sudan J Paediatr. 2020;20(2):96–98.

https://doi.org/10.24911/SJP.106-1594303943

Received: 09 July 2020 | Accepted: 09 July 2020

The authors from four countries belonging to three continents (Africa, Asia and Europe) contributed articles to the current issue of the Sudanese Journal of Paediatrics (SJP). These cover the fields of infectious diseases, immunisation, nutrition, dehydration in childhood, neonatology, nephrology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, haematology, oncology, rheumatology, dysmorphology, psychiatry, radiology and medical education and training.

The Cover of the current issue of SJP pays tribute to the Sudanese doctors who gave their lives around the globe fighting coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. They are represented by Dr. Muhammad Al-Faki (Mohamed Elhassan Elfaki Osman), Member of SJP Editorial Board, and Hematology Oncology Consultant at King Saud University Medical City (KSUMC) in Riyadh. He was mourned in Saudi Arabia, being one of the first two doctors to lose their lives as a result of the COVID-19 [1]. The official obituary of KSUMC described him as being ‘a valued member of the KSUMC family where he dedicated himself to care for haematology/oncology patients and committed to help the patients attain the highest possible level of health.’ The obituary continued to state that the ‘sudden loss of our colleague and friend is devastating and a deep shock to all of us. We will not be able to find as honest and responsible physician as he was.’

A Twitter user shared a photo of his son with Al-Faki, taken 4 years ago, during the first visit to the hospital’s haematology clinic. He recalled Dr. Al-Faki’s ‘kindness, beautiful spirit, lasting smile, love for children….I can’t imagine the clinic without him.’ [1].

Apart from his outstanding clinical service, Dr. Elfaki contributed to research in various hematologic disorders [2-4], sickle cell disease [5,6] and the genetics of haematologic diseases [7,8]. Being Head of Quality Focus Team, Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, King Saud University, he was active in the formulation and evaluation of several clinical practice guidelines [9-11].

It has been estimated that more than 40 Sudanese doctors and health care workers died in Sudan and around the globe during the current COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of deaths followed infection with coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, a number of deaths resulted as sequelae of the pressure on the health services created by COVID-19. The most tragic of these was the death of the 27-year-old Dr. Israa Mohamed Suleiman, a registrar gynaecologist and obstetrician, following a heart attack during her work hours at Alia Specialized Hospital, Omdurman, Sudan. Due to the staff shortage and the pressing need to attend complicated deliveries, she had to work for 48 hours. Her father, Dr. Mohamed Suleiman, is a consultant general surgeon working in Saudi Arabia. A Sudanese described her death to be caused by an ‘overdose of humanity’!

Another tragic death was that of the 36-year-old Dr. Muhanad Nowar Eltayib, registrar in cardiac surgery at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, UK [12]. He had been self isolating at his apartment in Belfast with flu-like symptoms before his death. Dr. Muhanad was born and raised in South Kordofan, Sudan, and his father works as orthopeadic surgeon in Saudi Arabia. Belfast city councillor and health worker, Paul McCusker described his death as ‘very sad news for Belfast and Northern Ireland.’ He also added that it’s ‘very difficult being away from family and having to make huge changes in your life being part of dedicated teams in the National Health Service (NHS) working long hours to save lives while risking your own’ [12].

Those who offered their lives fighting COVID-19 in Sudan and around the globe reflected the known professionalism and bravery of Sudanese doctors. Dr. Adil El Tayar, Consultant Kidney and Pancreatic Transplant surgeon, was the first working UK NHS surgeon who died from coronavirus [13]. Dr. Amged ElHawrani, Sudanese/British ENT consultant, was the first confirmed hospital frontline worker in UK who died from COVID-19. This has its roots in history, as it has also been vividly depicted during the outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Maridi (currently in South Sudan) in 1976 [14].

REFERENCES

1. Saudi Arabia mourns first doctor to die after contracting coronavirus. ARAB NEWS [cited 2020 July 3]. Available from: https://www.arabnews.com/node/1685066/saudi-arabia
2. al-Mofada SM, Osman ME, Kides E, al-Momen AK, al Herbish AS, al-Mobaireek K. Risk of thrombocytopenia in the infants of mothers with idiopathic thrombocytopenia. Am J Perinatol. 1994;11(6):423–26. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2007-994611
3. Alsultan A, Raddaoui E, Osman ME, Othman S, Khalifah M, Alsubaie S. Sarcoidosis presenting with massive splenomegaly in a child with a history of iridocyclitis and sensorineural deafness. Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2010;27(6):490–95. https://doi.org/10.3109/08880018.2010.493576
4. Osman ME. Childhood immune thrombocytopenia: clinical presentation and management. Sudan J Paediatr. 2012;12(1):27–39.
5. Alsultan A, Solovieff N, Aleem A, Al-Shehri A, Osman ME, et al. Fetal hemoglobin in sickle cell anemia: Saudi patients from the Southwestern province have similar HBB haplotypes but higher HbF levels than African Americans. Am J Hematol. 2011;86(7):612-614. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajh.22032
6. Alsultan A, Aleem A, Ghabbour H, AlGahtani FH, Al-Shehri A, Osman ME, et al. Sickle cell disease subphenotypes in patients from Southwestern Province of Saudi Arabia. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2012;34(2):79–84. https://doi.org/10.1097/MPH.0b013e3182422844.
7. Alangari AA, Alsultan A, Osman ME, Anazi S, Alkuraya FS. A novel homozygous mutation in G6PC3 presenting as cyclic neutropenia and severe congenital neutropenia in the same family. J Clin Immunol. 2013;33(8):1403–6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10875-013-9945-7
8. Alsultan A, Shamseldin HE, Osman ME, Aljabri M, Alkuraya FS. MYSM1 is mutated in a family with transient transfusion-dependent anemia, mild thrombocytopenia, and low NK- and B-cell counts. Blood. 2013;122(23):3844–5. https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2013-09-527127
9. Al Nemri A, Amer YS, Gasim H, Osman ME, Aleyadhy A, Al Otaibi H, et al. Substantial reduction in hospital stay of children and adolescents with diabetic ketoacidosis after implementation of Clinical Practice Guidelines in a university hospital in Saudi Arabia. J Eval Clin Pract. 2017;23(1):173–7. https://doi.org/10.1111/jep.12661
10. Babiker A, Amer YS, Osman ME, Al-Eyadhy A, Fatani S, Mohamed S, et al. Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) may enhance implementation of clinical practice guidelines: An experience from the Middle East. J Eval Clin Pract. 2018;24(1):206–11. https://doi.org/10.1111/jep.12873.
11. Amer YS, Al Nemri A, Osman ME, Saeed E, Assiri AM, Mohamed S. Perception, attitude, and satisfaction of paediatric physicians and nurses towards clinical practice guidelines at a university teaching hospital. J Eval Clin Pract. 2019;25(4):543–9. https://doi.org/10.1111/jep.12923.
12. Belfast doctor dies after self-isolating with suspected coronavirus. BelfastLive [cited 2020 July 3]. Available from: https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/health/belfast-doctor-dies-after-self-18121823
13. Salih MAM, Swar MO. The Sudanese/British doctors who offered their lives fighting coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Sudan J Paediatr. 2020;20(1):2–3.
14. Salih MA, Swar MO. Remembering the first doctors worldwide who offered their lives fighting Ebola virus epidemic. Sudan J Paediatr. 2014;14(2):6–8.