PATIENTS and members of the community have helped surgery staff create a shrine in memory of a doctor who died from coronavirus.

Karamat Ullah Mirza, 84, of Clacton, tragically died last May at Colchester Hospital after contracting Covid-19.

The much-loved doctor, who had lived and worked in the area since 1974, helped hundreds of patients at the Old Road Medical Practice.

To mark what would have been his 85th birthday, on May 7, his former patients, along with his friends and family, were last month asked to send messages to the surgery.

Maldon and Burnham Standard:

Following an overwhelming response, staff members used the notes to create a colourful tribute display at the front of the practice and in the window.

The touching messages, printed and written on heart-shaped pieces of paper, serve as a reminder of the lasting impact Dr Mirza had on so many people in the town.

One of the notes, from Michelle Hyde and Oscar and Sienna Senior, read: “We had Dr Mirza for a number of years, and he always greeted us with a smile on his face.

“We were made to feel at ease whenever we needed to see him. There sure is a loss felt now when needing to visit the surgery as you always expect to see him.

“He will be missed by us all – R.I.P Mirza.”

The surgery's audit clerk Tracey Telford, 36, who has worked at the practice for 16 years, said Dr Mirza's family has been taken aback by the outpouring of love.

She said: "Estelle, his wife, all his family and the surgery staff have been overwhelmed by the response we have received with all the lovely kind messages of much love and affection shown towards our Dr Mirza."