GEORGE TOWN: “This McCormack Medal is testament that (Malaysian) surgeons are on par with those internationally,” said Datuk Dr Basheer Ahamed Abdul Karim when accepting the prestigious award from the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) Diplomats during a ceremony on Oct 10.
The medal is conferred by the Intercollegiate Speciality Examination in Cardiothoracic Surgery Board to candidates who achieve the highest mark in their examination in the first attempt.
Penang Hospital’s Cardiothoracic Unit’s head of department Dr Basheer Ahamed, 45, is not only the first Malaysian to win the award – he is the first non-Briton to ever clinch the honour.
Dr Basheer conducted the first phase of the examination – the written component – three years ago, while the oral, clinical and viva sessions were completed in February this year.
He was just one of two Malaysians who sat for the examination along with 40 other cardiothoracic surgeons from around the world.
“Honestly, I did not expect to win it. The most difficult challenge I faced was to find the time to study for the examination.
“With the hectic schedule I have (at the hospital), I made full use of my few (free) minutes to study. In the end, I was surprised I was awarded the medal.
“This is certainly a lifetime achievement for me and the whole fraternity of Malaysian cardiothoracic surgeons,” he said when met at his office at the Penang Hospital today.
The road to success
Dr Basheer studied at Sekolah Kebangsaan St Xavier and Sekolah Menengah St Xavier before completing his undergraduate medical studies at Universiti Malaya in 1997.
He became a qualified general surgeon in 2002, was posted in Sarawak as well as his hometown here during his career, and was attached to the Ministry of Health for 21 years.
Dr Basheer underwent cardiothoracic training until 2006, and this included stints at the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur and in the United Kingdom.
Now at Penang Hospital, Dr Basheer said he is proud of the cardiothoracic department there, which began operating in 1995.
“Thousands of open heart and lung operations were conducted here with reasonable success, (and were) heavily subsidised for people here and from Perak, Kedah and Perlis.
“However, we have become the victim of our own success. The number of patients increased, but at the same time, the infrastructure and surgeons are limited. Here, there are only three (cardiothoracic surgeons),” he added.
Dr Basheer said his vision is to for the creation of a three-storey cardiothoracic surgical unit at the hospital – something which he made known to the Health Ministry years ago.
He said he appreciates the support the ministry and government has given the hospital over the years, but hopes his vision will become a reality soon.
“I have to thank the ministry for supporting the progress of my career so far, not to mention my parents, family members, gurus and others who have been behind me and supported me until today.
“I want to continue to serve in government hospitals. My aim is to bring cardiothoracic surgery to the common man,” said Dr Basheer.