Lall Sawh

Infobox Medical Person


name =Lall Ramnath Sawh
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birth_date =birth date and age|1951|6|1
birth_place =flagicon|Trinidad and Tobago Couva, Trinidad and Tobago
death_date =
death_place =
profession =Surgeon
specialism =Urology
research_field =Kidney transplantation
Urological disease
known_for =Introducing kidney transplantation and keyhole surgery to the Caribbean
years_active =1970s-present
education =West Indies School of Medicine, Jamaica
Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh,
Mayo Clinic, Minnesota, USA
work_institutions =Port-of-Spain General Hospital
Southern Medical Clinic, San Fernando
Westshore Medical Clinic, West Moorings
prizes = Who's Who in the World of Science and Technology
100 Greatest Living Surgeons
Chaconia Medal - Gold
relations = Wife: Sylvia S. Sawh (nee Ragobar)
Son: Dr. Sean Sawh
Son: Dr. Shane Sawh

Lall Ramnath Sawh C.M.T., FRCS (Edin), born 1 June 1951 is one of the most celebrated urologists in the Caribbean and Latin America. Based in Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Sawh introduced Kidney transplantation and button-hole Surgery to the Caribbean in 1988 and since then, he has continued to be a pioneer in the field of Urology. In 1994, Dr. Sawh implemented the use of the first Dornier Lithotripsy machine in Trinidad, thereby revolutionizing the treatment of kidney stones in Trinidad. Dr. Sawh is also renowned for his work in brachytherapy.

Early life

Dr. Sawh was born in the remote farming village of Couva in central Trinidad. His parents were the children of former indentured servants who worked on the sugar cane plantations in Trinidad before opening a small grocery in their village. Dr. Sawh's childhood was one of extreme poverty, and the family had no indoor plumbing or electricity. Young Dr. Sawh balanced his time between studying and selling vegetables on a bicycle in the local market, while simultaneously working in his family's small grocery. Despite these daily chores, Dr. Sawh entered Naparima College in San Fernando, one of Trinidad's best Secondary Schools, and was made Head Boy at this institution by age sixteen. Through academic achievement, he obtained a place at the University of the West Indies School of Medicine in Jamaica at the age of seventeen.

Education

At Medical school Dr. Sawh excelled and eventually graduated at the top of his year, and was subsequently awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship to pursue his post-Graduate studies in Scotland. After completion of this training program, Dr. Sawh was accredited as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and he then returned to Trinidad to work at the San Fernando General Hospital. A few years later, he was accepted to complete a Fellowship in Urology at the extremely prestigious Mayo Clinic in Minnesota in the United States, and was then made a member of the American Urological Association. Dr. Sawh subsequently returned to Trinidad and was made a Consultant Urologist at the Port of Spain General Hospital.

Achievements

In the mid 1980s, together with the late General Surgeon Dr. Andrew Yip-Hoi, Dr. Sawh pioneered several Urological procedures at the San Fernando General Hospital. Percutaneous kidney stone removal, button hole surgery and other specialised modalities in the field were introduced by Dr. Sawh.

Of particular note was the introduction of kidney transplant services to the Caribbean, with Dr. Sawh leading the local team in this Historic surgery on January 27th, 1988. Sadly, Governerment failure to capitalize on this asset resulted in the Transplant program being shelved. Nevertheless, Dr. Sawh is credited as being Trinidad's premiere Urologist and has introduced just about every Urological procedure to Trinidad. Having established the Urology Service at San Fernando General Hospital, Dr. Sawh moved on to become Consultant at the Port of Spain General Hospital. He is also privately employed by several companies in the Caribbean region.

On July 13th 2007, it was announced that the Government of Trinidad and Tobago would provide free Brachytherapy treatment to all Prostate Cancer patients who were ameniable to this form or treatment. This decision was a direct result of Dr. Sawh's call for the government to provide this service.

Awards

Dr. Sawh is currently featured in several editions of Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in the World of Intellects, Who's Who in the World of Science and Technology and was named one of the top 100 Surgeons in the World today. He is a part-time Lecturer at the University of the West Indies, and is a chief examiner for the Caribbean Medical Examinations. His services to Trinidad and Tobago have earned him the award of Chaconia Medal of the National Order of the Trinity, Class 1 Gold (the "Chaconia Medal, Gold"), the second highest award given by that country for excellence in the fields of Medicine and Surgery. At the time of the award, Dr. Sawh was only forty-three years old, making him the youngest person in the History of Trinidad and Tobago to be awarded the Chaconia Medal Gold for his contribution to Surgery in Trinidad. In 2007, he was named a "National Icon" by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago.

Miscellaneous

* Founder and Chairman of Uroco Limited, a Trinidad-based Urological company.
* Famously known as the "bow-tie Doctor" as he prefers bow-ties to traditional long ties.
* Famously performed an operation in which he created a penis for a child born with a micropenis.
* He is the personal Surgeon to the President of Trinidad and Tobago.
* Is regarded as an expert on Wines and Champagne.
* Is an avid Lawn-Tennis player.
* Always wears white shoes at work, a tradition that stems from his British training.
* Youngest Surgeon to ever be included in the "100 Best Surgeons in the World" list as published by Oxford.
* Early proponet of Viagra usage for erectile dysfunction.
* Eldest son, Dr. Sean Lall Sawh B.S.(Hons.), M.B., B.Ch., B.A.O. is a Resident in General Surgery at Harvard Medical School - Brigham and Women's Hospital.
* Second son, Dr. Shane Stefan Sawh D.D.S. is a London-based Dentist.
* Known for his philantrophy and humble nature.
* Known to be an eloquent speaker and is frequently invited to speak at public events due to his colourful and enjoyable presentations.

External links

* [http://www.nalis.gov.tt/ Trinidad and Tobago National Library System]
* [http://www.auanet.org/ American Urological Association]
* [http://uroco.tripod.com/ Uroco Limited]