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Stephen Hawking’s family, Chinese alumni donate ventilators amid Covid-19 outbreak
After recording over 17,000 deaths in hospitals alone – many more occurred in homes and care homes – the UK is one of the worst affected countries in Europe, with over 1.2 lakh cases, leaving it struggling to put in place the infrastructure and staff needed.
As the UK strives to acquire equipment to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, health authorities have received two unique donations: one ventilator from the celebrated physicist Stephen Hawking’s family, and two from 330 Chinese alumni of British universities.
After recording over 17,000 deaths in hospitals alone – many more occurred in homes and care homes – the UK is one of the worst affected countries in Europe, with over 1.2 lakh cases, leaving it struggling to put in place the infrastructure and staff needed.
Hawking’s family donated his ventilator to the Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, which was home to the renowned theoretical physicist who passed away in 2018 after making field defining contributions to his subject.
Hawking’s daughter Lucy said: “Our father received brilliant, dedicated and compassionate medical care from both Royal Papworth and Addenbrooke’s hospitals in Cambridge. As a ventilated patient, Royal Papworth was incredibly important to my father and helped him through some very difficult times”.
“We realised that it would be at the forefront of the Covid-19 epidemic and got in touch with some of our old friends there to ask if we could help,” she added.
The 330 Chinese graduates of UK universities made personal donations of £38,000 to buy two ventilators for the National Health Service. The vital equipment was transported on a flight from Shanghai to London.
The former students were part of the government’s Chevening programme which enables future global leaders to study in the UK. Minister of state for Asia Nigel Adams thanked them for the gesture.
In an open letter, the alumni said from China: “We wish to show our support and care by standing with British people in fighting with the pandemic. We have good faith and wish a full and swift success in our joint effort”.
