Prof Shaukat Ali Syed
Prof Syed, who was born in Jhang, Punjab, in 1922, was the first executive director of the NICVD. He completed his Intermediate from Government College, Lahore, and followed that with an MBBS from King Edward Medical College in 1944.
"He was the key person in establishing this institution," remarked Prof Khan Shah Zaman, another former NICVD executive director. "He was the pioneer of cardiology in the country."
According to Prof Zaman, Prof Syed remained the head of the NICVD for 19 years, introducing the first surgeons of the institution, including renowned surgeon Prof Ghaffar Jatoi. "This institute would not have been possible without his contributions."
According to a profile written by Dr Ghazala Naeem, an editorial board member of The Nation's Heart — the official NICVD bulletin — Prof Syed joined the army and was later transferred to PNS Shifa in Karachi, where he was put in charge of the cardiology department. He was then promoted to the post of rear admiral in the navy and major general in the army.
After the demise of Dr Kasim, the in-charge of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre's Central Heart Clinic, in 1964, Prof Syed became the head of the clinic.When the NICVD was completed in 1971, he became its executive director, retiring from the institution in 1983. "Shaukat, please keep this hospital as it is for the times to come," commented former premier Zulfikar Ali Bhutto while visiting the NICVD. Former president Ziaul Haq, too, remarked, "I have great regard for this grey-haired man."
Dr Tipu Sultan, the former president of the Pakistan Medical Association, said that Prof Syed was a great man. "What we have in the shape of the NICVD is all because of him. We have lost a dedicated person."
Published in The Express Tribune, March 17th, 2015.
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