Share this
Dr Saud Anwar, a Connecticut state senator, receives unsung hero parade for a multipronged effort to fight coronavirus Pic: Photo Courtesy
‘Hero’: Pakistani-American doctor takes on ventilator shortages applauded in hometown Connecticut
Saud Anwar is taking on the novel coronavirus on multiple fronts: as a Connecticut resident, a state senator, and first and foremost, he says, as a doctor.
“I am just a doctor, who happens to be in [the] public and policy arena,” Dr Anwar, a pulmonary specialist in the United States, told Al Jazeera. “I’m not a policymaker who’s a doctor. It’s the other way around.”
The American doctor of Pakistani heritage says he feels blessed to be in a position to serve as the world contends with the novel coronavirus, which has infected more than two million and killed at least 133,000 worldwide.
Anwar has won the praises of his community and other medical professionals for his multipronged efforts, including helping develop a ventilator device that makes it possible for seven patients to be treated at once.