Community lines streets to pay tribute to dedicated GP who died with Covid-19
Dr Saad Al-Dubbaisi worked in the Bury area for nearly 20 years.
Hundreds of people lined the streets for the funeral of a much-loved family doctor who died with coronavirus.
Dr Saad Al-Dubbaisi, a GP in Bury, Greater Manchester, “gave everything for the community” looking after generations of the same families, before his death.
On Tuesday, the community showed their appreciation for the 59-year-old.
After a funeral ceremony at his local mosque, members of the public applauded as a hearse carrying his coffin approached the Garden City Medical Centre in Holcombe Brook, near Bury, where Dr Al-Dubbaisi worked.
Fellow GPs, nurses and surgery staff took turns to lay dozens of floral tributes under a tree at the surgery which the hearse had parked beside. Inside the vehicle, Dr Al-Dubbaisi coffin was on display with a picture of the GP at its head.
After a few minutes’ reflection, the funeral cortege pulled away and more applause rang out.
Dr Al-Dubbaisi died on Sunday, May 3, having been “very poorly” for a number of weeks, according to his local NHS trust.
His daughter Zainab said her father have been born in Iraq and had graduated from Baghdad Medical College in 1983 before later moving to the UK.
Dr Zahid Chauhan worked with Dr Al-Dubbaisi at Bardoc, an out-of-hours healthcare service for local communities, and described his friend and colleague as “a kind, humble gentlemen who was trying to make a difference”.
“He had an unforgettable personality for whoever he touched and came across,” Dr Chauhan told the PA news agency.
“He was really, really well-liked. On Sunday mornings he would bring cakes and things for the staff – a really nice gentleman.
“He was really humble, very kind and a GP who cared about the wider society … he gave everything for the community.”
Dr Jeff Schryer, a local GP and chairman of the NHS Bury clinical commissioning group (CCG), said: “Dr Al-Dubbaisi cared for generations of the same families from his practice in Holcombe Brook for many years, he will be sorely missed by his work family and patients.”
