Sarwar Jehan Zuberi
BMJ 2004; 328 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.328.7443.840 (Published 01 April 2004) Cite this as: BMJ 2004;328:840All rapid responses
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Sir,
I had the privilege of knowing Dr. Sarwar Zuberi in several
capacities: as a patient, a student and as a junior colleague. My
interaction with her increased a few fears ago when she developed an
interest in bioethics, particularly research ethics. She called me to
share my modest experience in the area with her as she put together an
Ethical Review Committee for Ziauddin University, Karachi. This I feel
was one of the hallmarks of her personality: an eagerness to learn and
then to teach. Every interaction with her was a learning experience.
As mentioned in the obituary, Dr. Zuberi was the chief editor of the
Journal of Pakistan Medical Association, Pakistan’s first and for several
years, only indexed medical journal. She appeared to take the work of the
journal as a personal crusade and worked hard with little human and
material support to keep the work of Pakistan’s medical researchers in the
international spectrum. It is indeed a great pity that this special South
Asia edition of BMJ was destined to carry her obituary. Pakistan has lost
a great clinician, a pioneering researcher and a wonderful human being.
This loss has set us back in more ways than one.
Aamir Jafarey
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests
A great loss indeed.
Sir,
We all have to die. But some go unnoticed, others leave their mark. Dr.
Zuberi will be remembered for a long time. Her papers will continue to be
quoted. Though physically away,yet she will be 'felt' in all relevent
scientific meetings.
I have long felt a real need to inculcate, remind,and earnestly request
most of our fellow doctors in SE Asia to behave as doctors, the Messiahs.
Our behaviour with patients, generally speaking is more like (bad)
policemen, or like (bad) Master-servent . We are far away from being kind
hearted, soft spoken, smiling 'angels'. We take full advantage of our
patients helplessness, and behave macho. Our behaviour is not at all
justifiable by any yardstick.
In this connection, I have a long desire to start a series of talks
specially designed for all practising doctors in Pakistan, under the
topic," Are we doctors". I have done some ground work on paper. I had a
desire to seek Dr. Zuberi's advise in this regard, but that is shattered
now. I had never met her, but was foreseeing one. An unfullfilled desire,
Isn't it.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests