Veteran internist, Dr. Ramsundar Doobay, MBBS, MRCP who spent nearly his entire career working at the Georgetown Public Hospital, passed away yesterday and the local medical fraternity has hailed him as a “hero”.
He was 82 years old and had been ailing for some time.
“Dr. Ramsundar Doobay was a fixture at the GPHC for more than fifty years. One of the unforgettable images, I am sure, in many persons’ memory of the GPHC is walking into the medical wards and seeing a simple, unassuming man finding a corner of a patient’s bed to tuck himself in. There he was, sitting, talking to the patient, assuring that patient and teaching doctors,” Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony told Stabroek News yesterday.
Reflecting on the contributions Dr. Doobay made to the local fraternity, Anthony said there are few local doctors who have not crossed paths with the man who was responsible for internal medicine at the hospital for decades.
“After today, that image will always only be our memory. GPHC will never be the same with Dr. Doobay no longer among us,” Anthony lamented.
With a career spanning nearly 50 years at the GPHC, the Ministry of Health (MoH) pointed out that at various times Dr. Doobay served as Medical Superintendent of the Public Hospital Georgetown (PHG) and acted as Director of Medical and Professional Services at the GPHC, when the PHG became a public corporation.
The Ministry of Health stated that Dr.Doobay was a local hero and that is how he will be remembered.
“There are heroes and heroines who toil in the total absence of public attention, but are no less our heroes and heroines. Dr. Ramsundar Doobay is one of those ordinary Guyanese whose contributions make him one of those heroes that Martin Carter spoke of. The Ministry of Health believe we have lost one of the most consummate professionals that have ever served the field of medicine. Very few persons have served the health sector with the same dedication and the same value and worth as Dr. Ramsundar Doobay. It is no understatement to say that few have served the GPHC and medicine as much as and with the contributions Dr. Doobay made,” a statement from the MoH said.
Reflecting on his personality, the Ministry of Health remembered one of their best as being gifted with an intellect that was the envy of many, and yet he was never boastful.
“He was brilliant. But he remained at all times a simple, humble gentleman. His sense of humour was unique. Most of his students and many patients saw a stern, serious person. But he was gentle, caring and funny. Few could tell a joke without changing their demeanour. His expressions never changed whether he was making a serious statement or making a joke. For a man who was so funny, he was also a man of few words, always cool and collected, rarely ruffled,” the MoH said.
“In his early years with poor infrastructure in the health sector, with access to little or no technology, with access to few journals, Dr. Doobay awed his local colleagues and visiting colleagues with the depth of his knowledge of medicine. He was always up to date with developments in medicine, with new medications and new scientific findings. In fact, his main activity outside of the hospital was his incessant reading of journals and documents relating to medicines. As journals began to appear online, Doobs (as he was known) would spend most of his spare time lost in the pages of these journals”, the statement said.
Dedication
For Dr. Doobay’s longtime friend and former Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon, he brought a level of commitment and dedication to each of his patients that was laudable.
Luncheon who met Doobay in 1980 when he [Luncheon] returned to Guyana from studying in the United States, reflected on the relationship formed and knowledge shared among the three doctors that were responsible for the wards at GPHC- doctors Luncheon, Doobay and Denbow. He said that up to when he left Doobay there years ago, he gave the same level of commitment he had when they had first met.
“It was fun working with Dr Doobay. He was really dedicated to his patients …his camaraderie and the way in which he functioned working with the other doctors working in the department of medicine was stellar. I know for me it is sad to see him go,” Luncheon said.
In a tribute to his friend, former Minister of Health Dr.Leslie Ramsammy referred to him as a “medical giant”.
“One of my friends and colleagues and one of those who inspired me today lost his battle with illness. Dr Ramsundar Doobay was not just a class act, he was an intellectual and medical giant in our country. There was no simpler gentleman and yet he was extraordinary. He did not seek and he did not get much attention, but he emerged as a national hero. We lost a man who made a difference in our lives. I am glad that he was my friend. I’m glad that I worked with him. I feel privileged and honoured that he permitted me to be his friend. Walk well my friend. God bless you,” Ramsammy express-ed on his Facebook page.
Head of the GPHC’s Cardiology Unit Dr. Mahendra Carpen saw Dr. Doobay as a true patriot who “despite challenging circumstances and options to go abroad…chose to stay here and serve Guyana.”
“This is very emotional for me as it is for a lot of young doctors. I was fortunate, throughout my entire medical school career, to benefit from the guidance and knowledge of Dr. Doobay. I credit him for my choosing internal medicine and cardiology. He made it look interesting than any other area,” Dr.Carpen said as he explained how easy Doobay executed his work,” he said.
A humble and down to earth person, Carpen said that Dr. Doobay made it easy for young doctors to approach and talk to, and there is no one that went through the University of Guyana’s School of Medicine that would dispute this. “If you look across Guyana, all of the person who came out of UG School of Medicine, they would have (had) an indelible impression of him. I don’t think anyone can replicate,” he added.
The GPHC also lauded Dr. Doobay’s work; thanking him for serving with esteem for almost fifty (50) years and “making indelible contributions to medical practice during his tenure”.
“His passing is a grave loss for our nation,” the GPHC statement said.
It said that in 1968, a young Dr. Doobay began his career at the GPHC as a medical intern.
“’Doobs as he was affectionately called, quickly became a household name as he treated patients, taught and mentored young practitioners and contributed to the development of medical protocols and policies in Guyana. Over the years, his alacrity and brilliance would see him ascend to the head of Internal Medicine and acting Director of Medical and Professional Services before moving on in 2016, but it was Dr. Doobay’s humility and inimitable sense of humour that etched a lasting impression in the hearts and minds of those who had the honour of meeting and working with him,” the statement said.
Further, it added, “As we grieve this loss of a medical stalwart, the GPHC reflects on the immeasurable impact Dr. Ramsundar Doobay made to countless lives including his patients and colleagues among whom he continued to be respected and greatly loved. Guyana’s medical fraternity, including some of its most remarkable practitioners can be credited to the teaching, guidance and legacy of Dr. Ramsundar Doobay – we have lost one of our very best.”
