An Indian-origin doctor has climbed the tallest mountain in Africa, Kilimanjaro, to raise funds for the hospital where his long-time friend was admitted but could not be saved despite the staff's best efforts.
Ash Patel took on the challenge in memory of Mahesh Patel to raise funds for the Royal Stoke University Hospital at Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England.
His 54-year-old patient and friend was admitted to the hospital after suffering a heart attack in early September and died three weeks later.
"I've known Mahesh for 30 years, he was a friend as well as a patient. The hospital did an excellent job. The mountain is about 6,000 metres and probably the toughest challenge I have ever undertaken.
"I think the fact I was doing it to raise money for the hospital really got me through it. Sadly, Mahesh died on September 21, the day before I got back," Patel told 'The Stoke Sentinel'.
The general practitioner (GP) who works at Longton Health Centre in Lancashire, north-west England, had already been planning to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, but decided to undertake the challenge in order to raise funds for the hospital.
"It really is beautiful because you are right up there with nature. It was a very humbling experience and it was brilliant to be out there seeing the extremes of nature. It was mentally and physically very challenging," he said.
The efforts of Patel, who also works as a consultant in Leicester, raised 1,001 pounds for the hospital, which will be spent on the intensive care unit, where Mahesh was treated after being transferred from A&E (accident & emergency department).
Patel added: "From the moment the paramedics arrived to take him to A&E, everyone at the hospital really did everything they could do to help Mahesh. They are all hard working and caring staff.
"The hospital sometimes gets a bad press but the work they do there is excellent. As a doctor myself I could tell they did absolutely everything they could to help Mahesh.
