Doctor’s photographs of Ulster Hospital’s Covid battle on display

The striking images were captured by Dr Tuck Goh, a photography enthusiast who has worked in the Ulster Hospital’s Emergency Department for 23 years.

The exhibition entitled, ‘Pandemic – The Ulster Hospital’, documents the hospital’s battle with the coronavirus over the last seven months.

Dr Goh, who is originally from Malaysia, but has lived for in Northern Irland for many years, said: “I felt a sense that I needed to document this very interesting and surreal period of our department.

“It fitted the genre and niche of my kind of photography.

“So I started off by taking photographs of just basically how we got ready for what’s to come and just documenting my fellow colleagues – doctors, nurses, porters, domiciliary staff – just to get a sense of what was involved, the scale of this thing.

“It was just to document this very special, interesting period of the department. And so that’s what I thought I should do. And that’s what I’ve been doing and still I’m doing even today.”

Wrapping his pocket-sized Fuji camera in cling film when photographing in Covid areas of the hospital, Dr Goh captured intimate moments, providing a moving and unique insight into the life of frontline staff during what was – and remains – an extraordinary time in world history.

The medic added: “I think this is a once in a lifetime event.

“And I think that the hospital itself would like to document this looking back on a pictorial form.

“So I think it’s important that we have this as proof of what’s happened for future generations to come.”

*Pandemic – The Ulster Hospital is on display in The Oriel Gallery in Clotworthy House, Antrim Castle Gardens until November 15, 2020.