A Myanmar doctor who died after contracting coronavirus has been hailed as a “superhero dad” by his children.
Dr Peter Khin Tun worked at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in England after moving from Myanmar to the UK in 1994.
The 62-year-old died in the intensive care unit on Monday at the hospital, where he had worked for more than 21 years.
“Our family is immensely proud of our superhero dad,” his sons said in a statement.
“He used to say ‘Treat all your patients like they are your own family’, and this speaks to the type of character that he had.
“To us, he was simply the best human we know and we will miss him every day.”
The father-of-two graduated in medicine and surgery at Yangon’s University of Medicine (1) in 1981.
Dr Tun joined a World Health Organisation-sponsored project until 1985, and then he worked as a general practitioner in Myanmar for the next nine years.
He became a member of The Royal College of Physicians in London in 1997, becoming one of the many health care professionals from overseas who contributed their skills to the UK’s National Health Service.
Dr Tun was promoted to associate specialist in 2004, and was a member and contributor to the British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine.
Dr Jonathan Mamo, who worked alongside Dr Tun in the hospital’s neurorehabilitation unit, said: “Peter was like a father to all of us in our department in Reading.
“Despite being a calm and soft-spoken individual he always knew what to say and when to say it.”
He said Dr Tun, who cared for patients with complex neurological conditions, was a “great believer in the power of love” who “loved to help people”.
Dr Mamo added: “His desk is now empty and we all miss his extraordinary presence.
“To all of us on the neurorehabilitation unit at the Royal Berkshire Hospital he wasn’t just a colleague; he was a mentor, a father, and a friend.”
Professor Christine Collin, who worked alongside Dr Tun at the hospital for 12 years, called him an “unfailingly kind, caring and gentle” man who was “much loved and respected” by both patients and colleagues.
“Peter had the necessary compassion, respect and knowledge to help support the clinical needs of people with severe neurological disability, and had the useful attribute of always presenting a smiling face to the world,” she said.
“His family were his main joy in life, but he was also a talented artist, and could produce beautiful watercolours of his homeland."
