“The best dad”: Daughter of Mater doctor who passed away from Covid-19 remembers father’s bravery

“There are no words for the battle he fought every day."

The daughter of a Mater doctor who died after contracting Covid-19 has remembered her father as "brave" and "extremely dedicated." Dr Syed Waqqar Ali, who worked in Dublin's Mater Hospital, spent three months in the ICU after contracting the virus. He passed away yesterday. Dr Ali's daughter, Dr Samar Fatima Ali, said that her father was "the best dad" who was "incredibly dedicated to his profession and he lost his life to his profession.” She told RTÉ News: “There are no words for the battle he fought every day. Our father has been incredibly selfless, not only through this pandemic but his whole life. “He’s been an outstanding doctor and the best dad we could have asked for (...) It was very difficult to see our father in so much pain." Samar, who recently qualified as a doctor herself, added that it had been her dream to work with her father. "He told me that he'd guide me and we were supposed to work together," she said. Dr Ali passed away yesterday, aged 59. The Mater Hospital confirmed his passing, stating that he had become unwell in April and was confirmed to have contracted Covid-19. CEO of the HSE Paul Reid said: "It is with great sadness that I learned this morning of the passing of Dr Waqar Ali Shah in the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, following a long illness from Covid-19. "In common with his colleagues, I know he worked diligently and selflessly to care for patients at all times, and particularly during the pandemic." Dr Ali is the eighth healthcare worker to die from Covid-19 in Ireland. He had resided in Tyrrelstown, Co Dublin with his wife and five children.