HEALTH staff at Worcestershire Royal Hospital have been praised for their care and kindness by the wife of a respected doctor who died there after contracting Covid-19.

Liza Rasiah, wife of Dr Vishnu Rasiah, paid tribute to the "kindness, compassion and care" staff showed her husband.

She said: "We're devastated at losing our beloved Vish. He was such a loving husband and father to our beautiful daughter Katelyn, and much loved son and brother to our family in Malaysia and Trinidad.

"His whole family meant the world to him, and he absolutely doted on Katelyn.

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"Vish loved his work; to him it was so much more than a job and his colleagues are part of our family too.

"He treated every patient and family he cared for as his own. I couldn't have been prouder of him.

"I would like to thank the staff at Worcestershire Royal Hospital for the kindness, compassion and the care that they have provided to us over an incredibly difficult past few weeks."

Dr Rasiah, who worked at Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, operated as the "clinical lead" for regional neonatal work.

The trust said he was "highly regarded" in the Midlands and Dr Rasiah's wife, Liza, thanked Worcestershire Royal Hospital staff for their "kindness, compassion and care" towards her husband.

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Dr Rasiah was an ambassador for county charity Libby Mae's Angels, which raises money for vital equipment in hospitals.

The charity was set up by the parents of Libby Mae Sharratt, who was born in April 2013 but experienced difficulty with her breathing and was transferred directly to the Neo-Natal Unit, where she was placed on 100 per cent intensive care.

Dr Rasiah helped treat her, becoming a friend to the family and an advisor.

A statement from the charity said: "He cared for our daughter, he helped us believe, he gave us strength when it was our time to grieve,

He picked us up when we were feeling low, without his words of wisdom where we’d be now, we will never know

"An amazing Doctor, our charity advisor, ambassador and loyal friend too, his talents were endless and even included photography to name but a few.

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"He’s been taken too early, will be missed by us all, who are we going to turn to now when Riley has a sore throat or has a fall.

"Thank you for your guidance, for the memories for your care, life without you is going to be hard to bear.

"Your departure from earth to us all is a huge loss, now go find Libby and Rest in Peace "Big Boss" - our friend, our hero, Vish."

Sarah-Jane Marsh, chief executive of the Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Vish was an amazing doctor, leader, colleague and friend, passionate about the care of babies and their families.

"Losing him in such a cruel and unfair way will be too much to bear for many of us, in particular anyone involved in neonatal care, and of course his beautiful wife and daughter.

"As our tears flow, we must always remember the values that Vish stood for, and hold his vision, courage and compassion in our hearts. God bless you Vish, and may you rest in peace."