By Lucy Caulkett-
Tributes have been paid to an award-winning British surgeon who was tragically shot dead during violent protests in South Africa has been described as a “loving family man”. Kar Hao Teoh, 40, who worked at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow was a tourist in Cape Town when he was killed on August 3.
Kar Hao Teoh, (pictured) was a consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex
AD: Capeesh Restaurant
It is believed he had taken a wrong turn from a nearby airport when a group approached the vehicle he was in and shot him. Unrest on the outskirts of South Africa’s second-largest city began after minibus taxi drivers announced a week-long strike.
In a statement, the Princess Alexandra Hospital said: “Sadly, we can confirm that Mr Kar Hao Teoh, consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon, has died. He was a well-respected member of the team, valued colleague and friend to many across the hospital as well as in regional, national and international trauma and orthopaedic networks.”
A spokesman for the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust said: “He was a well-respected member of the team, valued colleague and friend to many across the hospital as well as in regional, national and international trauma and orthopaedic networks.”
AD: Oysterian Sea Food Restaurant And Bar
A spokesman at the British Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society described him as a “rising star” of the profession and added: “He was remembered by colleagues past and present as a kind, gentle person; a dedicated and talented surgeon.”
In 2021, Mr Teoh won an international prize for his pioneering research into the treatment of ankle fractures. The British Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society said, in a tribute shared online, that Mr Teoh’s “sudden and tragic death… has shocked all of us”.
The post said: “He was remembered by colleagues past and present as a kind, gentle person, a dedicated and talented surgeon and a rising star of the foot and ankle world who had already made a big impact in the British and European Foot and Ankle Societies.
“He has worked in Scotland, England and Wales and has left fond memories with people in all corners of the country. He leaves a wife and a two-year-old son. Our heartfelt sympathies and condolences go out to them all.”
He did his Higher Surgical Training in the Wales Deanery after completing his Medical School and Academic Foundation Programme in Edinburgh and Core Surgical Training in Severn (Gloucestershire). His advanced Foot and Ankle training was in Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr with Kartik Hariharan and Hiro Tanaka. He has been awarded numerous prestigious international fellowships from many organisations (BOA
South African police said the 40-year-old was sitting in the passenger seat of the vehicle when he was shot in the head. Two other passengers and an infant were also in the vehicle. The passengers were taken to a hospital for medical treatment, police said.
South African police said they opened a murder case over the shooting, which happened in the Nyanga township near the Cape Town International Airport. Five separate murders have been recorded during the protests, which have included stone-throwing, road blockades, looting, arson and public violence, the South African Police Service said.
An FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in South Africa and are in contact with the local authorities.”
A crowdfunding page set up for Mr Teoh’s family – including for his two-year-old son – has raised more than £25,000.
The UK Foreign Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in South Africa and are in contact with the local authorities.
AD: Heritage And Restaurant Lounge Bar