Miss England 2019 sets aside crown to resume duty as doctor amid COVID-19 pandemic

Miss England 2019 Bhasha Mukherjee has temporarily set aside her crown to resume her duty as a doctor amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Prior to joining the Miss World pageant in December 2019, Bhasha had worked as a junior doctor.

 

 

 

 

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You ever felt the effect of DIVINE INTERVENTION? Like someone up there is protecting you and magically makes everything come together in the end after numerous hurdles. That's how today felt. This photo has been captured on a phone by the talented @soulful_s , a true singh, who drove 4 hours each way to my hospital, and captured everything within 1 hour. This gentleman made my vision a reality and that for me was actually emotional. Thank you @tamararashford.ox you loyal, I like you ( - DJ Khaled) I couldn't have done this without you girl - that's some Scorpio love right there. Thank you @bitaayazdani and @aishaaa_aa my beauties and all the fantastic staff at my hospital for making my day so special today. There's a reason why you all were placed in my life at this precise junction of my life. What is beauty without a purpose. Love you my precious NHS and all the heroes that make this system a success. Love you pilgrim hospital - my work and worship XXX @missenglandnews @beautywithapurposeofficial @missworld

A post shared by Dr Bhasha Mukherjee (@bhasha05) on

Oct 29, 2019 at 3:27pm PDT

According to a CNN report, she has now returned to the United Kingdom, halting her humanitarian work in Africa, Turkey, India, Pakistan and other Asian countries scheduled to last until August this year.

The 24-year-old beauty queen had been in India for four weeks as an ambassador of Coventry Mercia Lions Club, a development community charity. She donated supplies to schools and money to a home for abandoned girls.

However, she learned from her former colleagues from Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, Eastern England that the COVID-19 situation was getting worse in her home country.

She then decided to call the hospital's management and expressed her interest in wanting to return to work.

Bhasha told CNN that she felt bad wearing the crown even while doing humanitarian work, when her colleagues were suffering and people were dying.

"When you are doing all this humanitarian work abroad, you're still expected to put the crown on, get ready... look pretty. I wanted to come back home. I wanted to come and go straight to work," she said.

Bhasha said she felt this is her calling, and that there was "no better time" for her to be Miss England "and helping England at a time of need."

"I felt a sense of this is what I'd got this degree for and what better time to be part of this particular sector than now," she said.

"It was incredible the way the whole world was celebrating all key workers, and I wanted to be one of those, and I knew I could help," she added.

She returned to the UK last Wednesday after working with the British High Commission in Kolkata in finding a flight from India to Frankfurt then to London.

She was required to self-isolate for two weeks to follow protocols amid COVID-19. After the isolation she can return to work as a doctor at the Pilgrim Hospital.

The report said Bhasha is specializing in respiratory medicine.

According to the World Health Organization's situation report, as of April 6, the United Kingdom has 47,810 cases with 4,934 deaths.

—Jannileyn Ann Bigtas/JCB, GMA News