A doctor who came out of retirement to help in the fight against coronavirus has died.

Dr Alfa Saadu, 68, returned to Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital in Welwyn after retiring in 2016, to help his former colleagues battle the virus.

But the doctor, who dedicated nearly 40 years to the NHS, died on Tuesday (March 31).

He is the fourth doctor to be killed by the disease.

Dr Alfa had worked at many hospitals across London and Hertfordshire.

In 2014, he was a medical director of London North West University NHS Trust, managing Northwick Park Hospital and Ealing Hospital. He also spent many years as a consultant with West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust and was medical director at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Essex before retirement.

His son Dani Saadu told the BBC that his father refused to go hospital as he did not want to take up hospital beds others would need. Stephen Applebaum, a freelance journalist from Watford, described Dr Alfa as a “highly respected consultant with West Herts Trust”.

David Cheesman, the director of strategy and transformation at the Barnet, Enfield & Haringey Mental Health Trust, also paid his respects to the deceased doctor.

He said: “Alfa was a lovely man and highly regarded by colleagues at Ealing & Northwick Park hospitals back in the day. Thoughts are with his family.”

Speaking at the daily Downing Street press conference, Health Secretary Matt Hancock honoured the recent deaths of doctors with Covid-19.

He said: "If the past few weeks have shown us anything, it's that we are steadfast as a country in our resolve to defeat this invisible killer.

"I am profoundly moved by the compassion and the commitment that we are seeing from people right across the country, and in the health and care system we have lost colleagues too.

"Doctors, nurses, mental health professionals: they have paid the ultimate price for their service - working to care for others.

"I just want to say this on behalf of all my colleagues in health and social care: I am awed by the dedication of colleagues on the frontline, every single person, who contributes to the running of this diverse and caring institution that our nation holds so dear.

"Many of those who have died who are from the NHS were people who came to this country to make a difference, and they did, and they've given their lives in sacrifice, and we salute them."