Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Doctor’s equipment plea gets Hollywood actor’s support
An Ashford doctor has raised more than a million pounds to get frontline NHS workers vital protective gear as they continue to battle the deadly coronavirus.
Dr Salaj Masand, who works in General Adult Medicine at the William Harvey Hospital, helped set up a crowdfunding campaign aimed at curbing the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) being experienced across the NHS. Many nurses and doctors aren’t always able to get the equipment they need to protect themselves, with demand only expected to increase.
Although he says the government are doing everything they can, Dr Masand is worried a global shortage of kit will put workers at risk.
Now, he and three others have formed a group - entitled ‘Masks for NHS Heroes - that hoped to raise £200,000 when its campaign started seven days ago on March 26. Within four days, the current total stood at almost £1.1million.
This milestone comes as it was announced 1,789 people have sadly died from the virus to date.
This fundraising figure was helped along by one of the world’s top actors - X-men and Last King of Scotland star James Mcavoy personally donated £275,000 to the effort. Promoting the cause on an Instagram post, the 40-yearold said: “We’ve all heard stories about doctors and nurses having to buy their own Personal Protective Equipment from the internet or DIY stores.
“The products aren’t good enough and frankly neither is that situation.”
He goes on to implore viewers to donate to Dr Masand’s crowdfunder so that more lives can be saved.
It was suggested on Friday that temporary hospitals could be built in the county, to accommodate cases that arise during the expected boom still to come. One such 4,000bed Nightingale facility has already being constructed in a week at London’s Excel Centre and is expected to open later this week. Meanwhile Ashford company ITL offered its help to companies that wanted to commission ventilators.