Coronavirus: Reading doctor's death blamed on 'lack of PPE'

The family of a doctor thought to have died of Covid-19 has blamed his death on a lack of protective equipment.

Dr Peter Tun died on Monday from coronavirus at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading where he worked, his family said.

His son said his father would have wanted him to "speak up" in a bid to save the lives of other health workers.

A hospital spokesman denied there was a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) at Mr Tun's ward.

Michael Tun said his father, who was an associate specialist in neurorehabilitation, had previously complained to his manager because they took away PPE from his ward to take somewhere else.

His family said Dr Tun had been in contact with five patients who had tested positive for coronavirus on his ward, and his wife was now in hospital waiting for her Covid-19 test results.

Mr Tun, who had described his dad as a "superhero", added: "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."

The Royal Berkshire Foundation Trust (RBFT) had said it was "deeply saddened" by the death of Dr Tun.

But it denied there was a lack of PPE, saying its priority was to keep "staff safe and properly protected" and it followed "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," a spokesman added.

Dr Tun came to the UK from Burma in 1994 and had worked at the hospital for more than 21 years.