THE SON of Dr Peter Tun — who died at Royal Berkshire Hospital on Monday — has said his death was a direct result of a lack of PPE.
Dr Tun’s son, Michael Tun explained via social media this morning that his father died after contracting Covid-19 while working at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.
He said: “My Dad, Dr Peter Tun died from Covid-19 because of the lack of PPE. The day he found out there was a [patient] positive for Covid-19 in his ward, Dad told me that he had earlier complained to a manager because they took PPE away from his ward to [use it] somewhere else.
“He was told that if there was a case, they would bring it back. He replied it would be too late.
“The last he told me, there were four more positive patients with no symptoms. Two weeks later, my Dad passed away and I couldn’t do anything.
“He was afraid he would give this to my mum, and now she is in hospital also waiting for her test results.
“The thought that if only he had a proper protective mask, he might still have been able to enjoy his hard-earned retirement after a lifetime of service just kills me.”
A spokesperson from the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust said: “Everyone in the Trust has been deeply saddened by the death of Dr Peter Tun. There have been so many messages of sympathy and condolence from a wide range of staff and this shows just how popular and respected he was by all who knew and worked with him.
“Our priority has always been to keep our staff safe and properly protected and we follow the strict national guidelines on the correct and appropriate use of PPE.
“We carry out thorough training with staff so they know when and where to use the kit and our managers and Matrons make regular checks on the wards to make sure staff are properly kitted out for the duties they are performing.
“We will continue to work with Peter’s family regarding the circumstances of his death.”
Now, Michael Tun is appealing for a better supply and use of PPE across the country.
He wrote: “Please do everything to protect the doctors and nurses. They go in scared and for their families.
“They did not get into the profession to die a hero in battle. This is why he was a superhero to us. He was scared and still went in to help strangers, completely knowing the risk.
“My hope in writing this is that it will save more doctors and nurses lives, and avoid pain for their families. My Dad would have wanted to speak up if he thought it would save lives.
“We couldn’t protect my Dad so I want to help protect everyone else who is in the same position that he was. Thank you for everything to all the heroes.”
