Felicia Kwaku understands better than most the human toll of the Covid-19 pandemic.
As a senior frontline nurse, she has witnessed the virus’s disproportionate and too often deadly effect on her fellow ethnic minority colleagues.
A clinician for more than 30 years, Ms Kwaku, who is associate director of nursing at King’s College NHS Foundation Trust in south London, chronicled with growing horror the death toll among black, Asian and minority ethnic (Bame) health and social care workers as the pandemic took hold this spring.
The 52-year-old, who also lost her uncle to the virus, was able to use her position at the head of a key advisory group for the nursing profession to highlight the concerns of Bame clinicians and the risks they were facing as hospitals coped with an extraordinary influx of seriously and critically ill Covid patients.
A study commissioned by London mayor Sadiq Khan confirmed the greater threat posed to those from ethnic minority backgrounds, finding this week that black people have almost twice the risk of dying from coronavirus as white people.
Coronavirus concerns
Ms Kwaku, from Islington, north London, said she had catalogued multiple concerns from Bame health workers concerning issues such as provision of protective equipment (PPE) and being deployed to Covid wards, producing a list of recommendations for NHS managers.
Ms Kwaku receives an OBE for her services to nursing. She said it was “timely and appropriate” that Bame people were being recognised for their efforts during the pandemic.
On receiving her honour, she said: “It’s my responsibility to represent my profession really well, and for Bame people who don’t get to these levels a lot, it’s a real privilege for me.”
Latest Stories
-
‘I did not bribe anybody, my action was misconstrued’ – MP involved in Ejisu ‘envelope’ incident
8 mins -
Respect is earned, not commanded – Raymond Atuguba tells public officials
26 mins -
TikTok and Universal settle music royalties dispute
40 mins -
Failure to properly transfer gun ownership can land you behind bars
48 mins -
Reduce over-reliance on imports to stabilise cedi – TUC boss tells Ghanaians
1 hour -
‘We’re taking it game by game’ – Ibrahim Tanko on Accra Lions’ title ambitions
1 hour -
Nigerians pick sides as Wizkid and Davido clash online
1 hour -
Nigeria Workers’ Day: Civil servants get pay rises up to 35%
1 hour -
“I am the Austrian team boss with all my heart,” Rangnick turns down Bayern
2 hours -
Failed asylum seeker given £3,000 to go to Rwanda
2 hours -
Nigerian gasoline prices soar as shortages worsen cost of living crisis
2 hours -
Paris 2024: We will win medal at Olympics if government invests more – GPC President
2 hours -
Akufo-Addo calls for protection of Ghana’s democratic reputation and identity
2 hours -
Apple working to fix alarming iPhone issue
2 hours -
‘You won’t win GPL title without your own stadium’ – Bashir Hayford tells Kotoko, Hearts
2 hours