A highly-respected GP from North Wales is the 13th to have died after contracting Covid-19.
Dr David Wood MBE, 74, died on 13 July at Glan Clwyd Hospital. On the day of his funeral, much of his village, Eglwysbach, came out to clap in his honour.
Despite a diagnosis of cancer late last year, he continued practising at West Shore Surgery in Llandudno until lockdown commenced in March. Local newspaper The Daily Post reported that he was exposed to coronavirus in hospital.
Dr Wood was remembered in his obituary notice as an ‘adored husband and soulmate of Pat’; ‘beloved father of Matt and Rob’; ‘wonderful stepfather’ and ‘proud Grandpa Woody to his six special granddaughters’, who will be ‘sadly missed’ by other family members.
Dr Wood, who was mainly based in Colwyn Bay but also spent two decades working in nearby Bangor, qualified from the University of Bristol in 1969. He was awarded an MBE in the 2013 Queen’s New Year Honours for services to general practice, specifically in education and training, and to the North Wales community.
Covering his achievement at the time, Pulse described him as a ‘treasurer, council representative, education lead and iMAP lead for the RCGP North Wales faculty’. More recently, he was deputy representative of the RGCP’s North Wales faculty.
He was also an associate dean at Cardiff University, worked closely with local GPs, and held a key role on a project encouraging Liverpool medical students to move into North Wales.
In addition, Dr Wood regularly assisted the medical tent at the Eglwysbach Agricultural and Horticultural Show, and was an avid supporter of charities.
Paying tribute, Chris Stockport, executive director of primary and community care at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, told Pulse: ‘We’re very sad to hear of Dr Wood’s death, and offer our sincere condolences to his family and friends.
‘Dr Wood was an outstanding servant to his patients and the health service throughout his time in general practice, and made a significant contribution to medical education in North Wales over many years. He will be greatly missed by the NHS community in North Wales.’
Dr Wood’s wife Pat also told the Daily Post: ‘He really was an incredible man. He kept on going despite fighting cancer as he always said he wanted to give back to medicine, what medicine gave him. He loved his job, and never wanted to give up. He was from the old school, the locals would sometimes knock on our door out of hours but David never turned them away.
‘He especially loved his patients from the Maesgerchin estate in Bangor, when he worked in the city as he found so friendly and down to earth. He always said he wanted to leave this house in a box, and so the hearse came to the house on the day of his funeral and despite the pouring rain people in the village came out to line the streets and clapped when he went by.
‘That still gives me a shiver down my spine, it was so wonderful.’
A total of 12 other GPs, including a trainee, have died after contracting Covid. Pulse has shared tributes to each of them here.
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