Kazi Uzair

Infobox Person
name = Dr. Kazi T. Uzair, M.D.


caption = Portrait of Dr. Kazi Uzair in Conference Room of NYMC Westchester Medical Center with names of recipients of Kazi Uzair Award below. Title of picture is "For Dedication and Commitment in the Care of Children"
birth_date = 22 February, 1959
birth_place = Bangalore
death_date = 22 January, 1989
death_place = Karachi
other_names = KTU
citizenship = flagicon|Pakistan Pakistani
known_for = * Student Leader
* "Kazi Uzair Award" given to best Pediatric PL-3 Resident at NYMC;
* President of Dow Medical College Students' Union 1981-82
occupation = Pediatrician
relatives =
spouse =
website =
footnotes =

Dr. Kazi Tanveeruddin Uzair (Urdu: قاضى ﺗﻨﻮﻳﺮﺍﻟﺪﻳﻦ ﻋﺰﻳﺮ) (February 22 1959 — January 22 1989) left an indelible mark as a leader and doctor with conscience in his short life. He was the President of the Dow Medical College Students' Union in Karachi 1981-82. In recognition of his "Dedication and Commitment in the Care of Children" [This is the sub-title under his portrait that is on the wall of the Conference Room at the NYMC Westchester Medical Center] during his internship and residency, an award titled "Kazi Uzair Award" is given to the best Pediatric Resident at the New York Medical College each year since 1989 (the year Kazi Uzair died).

Ancestry

Kazi Uzair is a direct descendent of the famous Sufi Baha-ud-din Zakariya Multani (1160-1267). One of his great-grandsons Shaykh Nizamuddin moved to the Deccan in South India during the reign of Sultan Muhammad bin Tughluq around the year 1343. Subsequently, this branch of the family settled down in Hyderabad for over six centuries. Kazi Uzair's ancestors were given the title of "Kazi", i.e. judge and administrators of the various towns that were located west of the city of Hyderabad - like Qandahar, Udgir, Parbhani, etc.

His grandfather Kazi Zainul Abedin was the last Kazi of Udgir and one of the earliest officers of the Hyderabad Civil Service. He eventually rose up to the rank of a Secretary in the government of the Nizam of Hyderabad State. His father Kazi Abdur Rasheed also followed in the footsteps and joined the Hyderabad Civil Service in 1946, two years before the fall of Hyderabad State to Indian armed forces.

A year after the creation of Pakistan, his grandfather Kazi Zainul Abedin moved to Pakistan and settled down in Mirpurkhas, Sindh in 1948. Kazi Zainul Abedin spent the rest of his years at Mirpurkhas in developing agricultural farms and social work in that area. He died in 1962 and was buried on his farms there.

Education and Early Life

Having studied at Ayesha Bawani Academy, Kazi Uzair completed his Intermediate education (F.Sc) from Government National College (Karachi) in 1976. With an excellent academic record, he was accepted for admission to Dow Medical College, Karachi to pursue his degree in Medicine.

Kazi Uzair obtained his degree in Medicine (M.B.B.S.) in 1984 from Dow Medical College, Karachi which has been considered to be among the best institutions for medical education in Pakistan. In 2003, Dow Medical College was upgraded to a university and is now known as Dow University of Health Sciences.

Upon graduation, he completed his internship at Civil Hospital Karachi in 1985, and then moved to NY, USA for a residency program in Pediatrics at the New York Medical College at Valhalla. During the 3 years at Valhalla, Dr. Uzair demonstrated his care and dedication to his profession as well as leadership qualities once again which led to the establishment of the Award in his name.

While he was doing his residency at NYMC, Dr. Uzair also obtained Masters in Public Health and a Masters in Health Administration from New York.

tudent Leader

Kazi Uzair displayed his leadership qualities right from his days in high school. Due to his popularity, he was elected as the Class Representative at Government National College (Karachi).

Uzair's gained greater popularity amongst the students of Dow Medical College. During his fourth year at the college, he was elected to the powerful position of President of the Dow Medical College Students' Union for the year 1981-82 with a massive majority as per college tradition. [See page no. 22 of Dow Alumni magazine "Dowlite", May 2008 edition at http://dowforum.com/web/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=17&Itemid=95 in PDF format and http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:L_yjidooNyYJ:dowforum.com/web/index.php%3Foption%3Dcom_docman%26task%3Ddoc_download%26gid%3D17%26Itemid%3D95+uzair+dow+medical+college&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=20 in HTML format] In the same article, his colleague Dr. Jameel Farooqui describes Uzair in the following words: "He was truly a very dynamic person. He was friends with everyone, a true "Awami" (public) Leader. I remember, how he used to meet with everyone with such a pleasant smile, no wonder he was liked and loved by every one."

During his tenure, Kazi Uzair broke with all previous party politics and traditions to bring about the concept of service to the medical community as well as to his fellow students. He initiated several programs that alleviated many of the miseries of the students of the college. These included establishment of a Blood Bank, airconditioning of the college library (for the students to be able to study in ease), arranging for a book bank and low cost books for the needy students (who could not afford to buy expensive books), and many other programs. Along with his cabinet, he would always be available to solve the problems of the students.

His influence as a student leader in Karachi grew to the extent that most members of the Karachi student and medical community would look up to him to provide leadership. On more than one instance, the Chief Minister of the Province of Sindh called Kazi Uzair to quell student disturbances. Uzair's word had a great influence in ensuring peace and harmony in the student commmunity in the city of Karachi.

Upon graduation, he completed his internship at Civil Hospital Karachi in 1985, and then moved to NY, USA for a residency program in Pediatrics at the New York Medical College at Valhalla. During the 3 years at Valhalla, Dr. Uzair demonstrated his care and dedication to his profession as well as leadership qualities once again which led to the establishment of the Award in his name.

While he was doing his residency at NYMC, Dr. Uzair also obtained Masters in Public Health and a Masters in Health Administration from New York.

Kazi Uzair Award

Dr. Uzair was recognized by the New York Medical College at Westchester Medical Center (Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital) for his exceptional qualities, dedication, care and professional competence. Upon his death, the college instituted an annual award for the best resident in Pediatrics since 1990. The award is titled "Kazi Uzair Award". A list of recipients of this award is engraved in the conference hall of the college with Dr. Kazi Uzair's portrait. [http://www.jordanhealth.org/jordantemplate3.cfm?p1ID=15] [http://www.rainbowdocs.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16&Itemid=38] The following is a list of recipients of the Kazi Uzair Award:

Voluntary Activities

Uzair's philanthropic activities included the establishment of a Blood Bank at the Civil Hospital Karachi. Most of the poor patients who would come to the hospital had difficulty in obtaining blood for transfusion. Uzair mobilized the students and other young doctors to donate blood regularly every month or two.

Kazi Uzair's last days

In March 1988 at the peak of his career, Dr. Uzair was diagnosed with a tumor in his brain stem. He underwent treatment at the Neurological Institute of Columbia University, NY. After 5 months of extensive treatment, the doctors gave up, and he was carried back to Pakistan on a stretcher in August 1988. Finally he expired on 22 January 1989. Busloads of mourning doctors and medical practitioners carried him to his grave. He remained a very popular personality in the Karachi medical community even in death.

Footnotes

Other Wikipedia references

*List of Pakistanis

External links

* [http://www.geocities.com/zulkader/uzair.html For Uzair's biography]