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The family of an NHS consultant who has treated many patients during the coronavirus pandemic and is now seriously ill with Covid itself, is facing expulsion from the UK.
Dr Basem Enany, 44, a consultant cardiologist from Egypt, is currently in intensive care on a ventilator at a Yorkshire hospital.
His colleagues describe him as “a front-line fighter against the pandemic” and say he regularly spent full shifts day and night in Covid wards caring for very sick patients. In mid-September, he tested positive for Covid itself.
A few days after he got sick he noticed weakness in both legs that turned into progressive paralysis. You have been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare complication of some viruses, including Covid. There have been another 31 cases related to Covid, mainly in Europe.
Enany has been on a ventilator for two weeks because she suffers from breathing difficulties, although she can communicate. At the moment, his prognosis is unclear.
Enany had been working as a substitute consultant at the University Hospital of the York NHS Trust. His contract was due to end in late November and his current work visa expires in early December. Before getting sick, he was working on new job applications and was planning to renew his visa as he, his wife and their four daughters, the youngest of whom is only four years old, are all based in the UK.
Speaking to The Guardian, Enany’s wife, who did not want to give her full name, said: “I can’t believe this is happening. Everything is like a bad dream. My husband is young and very talented. We never thought we would face something like this.
“He loves his job. Even when you first got Covid, you were working online from home on your emails and looking at your references. He is a very dedicated doctor. Before this happened, our lives were quiet, easy, and stable. Our four daughters are very well settled here. Everyone loves school and they are happy here. “
The family deputy contacted the Ministry of the Interior on his behalf, but received no response.
Contacted by the press on Thursday evening, a Home Office spokeswoman told PA Media: “Dr Enany is here fully legally and has every right to remain in the UK. Our thoughts are with his family, and we will communicate urgently with them and their employer so that we can help in this difficult time. Health and social care professionals around the world play a vital role in hospitals and nursing homes across the UK and we are very grateful. “
While Enany’s wife welcomed the statement that officials would contact her husband’s family and employer, she said the situation remained unclear.
“The visa expires at the beginning of December and I don’t know what will happen since my husband will not be able to work then, so I cannot renew the same visa that we have now. I will be anxious until I have a new visa in my hand.
“York MP Rachael Maskell wrote to the Home Office to inquire about our situation. Just yesterday he sent me an email to tell me that he had not yet received a response from them. When my husband is awake, I can communicate with him on Zoom. The first thing he always asks me is: ‘What’s going on with the visa?’
She said Enany was loved by her patients and that the mother of a 20-year-old whose life she had saved had reached out to offer support after hearing how sick he was.
“The boy’s mother was very nice to me,” he said. “She told me that she is praying for my husband.”
Enany’s wife, who worked as a clinical pathologist in Egypt, added: “All I want is for my husband to come back to me in the same state that he entered the UK, standing up. I can’t even imagine what will happen if they tell us that we can no longer stay in the UK because my husband is sick with Covid and cannot work at the moment. “
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a consultant cardiac specialist and friend and colleague of Enany, has created a crowdfunding page to pay medical and legal bills. He said: “I feel heartbroken and helpless. While I am concerned about Basem, I am equally concerned about the future of his wife and daughters ”.
Dr. Terry John, Chairman of the BMA International Committee, said: “This is an incredibly distressing case, and we hope the best for Dr. Enany, as we send our thoughts to his family and colleagues. The last thing your wife should worry about at this difficult time is the uncertainty about her family’s future in this country, a country where they have put down roots and call home, and the BMA is in contact with her and offering her support.
“Our international colleagues have proven invaluable during the Covid-19 response, underscoring the vital contribution they have made to the NHS since its inception. But we know of the high cost that many have paid, with a disproportionate number of health and care workers from abroad, and especially those with a history of BAME, who become seriously ill and, tragically, many die from the virus.
“We all owe this group of dedicated staff a huge debt of gratitude, while compassion and human decency must always take precedence over rigid rules and bureaucracy.”
