Professor Abdul Rashid Gatrad

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, DL, FRCP, Hon FRCPCH, MRCS (1946-) is a Malawi-born consultant paediatrician of

Memon Memon may refer to: Ethnic group and language * Memon people, an ethnic group originating in the ancient Sindh (modern day Pakistan) * Memoni language, the language of Memon people historically associated with Kathiawar, Gujarat, India People wit ...

heritage, working in England.

Early life

Gatrad was born in Blantyre, Malawi in 1946. His father Mahomed Gatrad was a leader of the Asian community in Malawi and his family were

. He was educated at a

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...

school in Malawi, and then

Founders High School Founders High School is a public secondary school in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. It includes both day and boarding students. History Founders High School was founded in January 1952 as Southern Rhodesia's first secondary school for Coloured and Asian ...

in Bulawayo, Rhodesia. While in Malawi he played cricket for the national side, against

Mashonaland Mashonaland is a region in northern Zimbabwe. Currently, Mashonaland is divided into four provinces, * Mashonaland West * Mashonaland Central * Mashonaland East * Harare The Zimbabwean capital of Harare, a province unto itself, lies entirely ...

and Matabeleland, and in Bulawayo he played for his school. He was a seam bowler and slip fielder. Moving to England, he took

A levels The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...

at Harrow College then studied medicine at the University of Leeds from 1966. During this time he also worked as a postman. He undertook training at Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield, and subsequently at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital and Saint Mary's Hospital in the same city.

Career

Gatrad began working for the NHS on 1 August 1971. In 2018 he recalled: He transferred Walsall in 1983. As well as becoming a consultant paediatrician and head of the Paediatrics Department at Walsall Manor Hospital, he is Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health at the University of Kentucky and at the University of Wolverhampton. He completed his PhD in 1994, at the University of Wolverhampton, while working full-time as a physician, with a thesis entitled "The Muslim in hospital, school and the community: practitioner awareness of the Muslim way of life in Walsall, West Midlands, United Kingdom". He has published over 80 academic papers; in addition to paediatric matters, these cover topics including medical issues related to the

Hajj The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried ...

, palliative care for people of various South Asian ethnicities, birth customs associated with South Asian ethnicities, and multifaith hospital chaplaincy. He is the co-author of two medical books: ''Caring for Muslim Patients'', which has a

foreword A foreword is a (usually short) piece of writing, sometimes placed at the beginning of a book or other piece of literature. Typically written by someone other than the primary author of the work, it often tells of some interaction between the ...

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

, and ''Palliative Care for South Asians: Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs'', whose foreword is by

Liam Donaldson Sir Liam Joseph Donaldson (born 3 May 1949) is a British doctor. He was formerly the Chief Medical Officer for England, being the 15th occupant of the post since it was established in 1855. As such, he was principal advisor to the United Kingd ...

. He appeared several times on the

BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...

programme ''

Gharbar ''Gharbar'' was a weekly BBC television programme for the Asian community, which aired from 1977 to 1987. Initially a 26-part series billed as "helping Asian families to help themselves", the programme was made permanent the following April and ...

'', answering questions on medical issues. He is a postgraduate examiner for the

Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, often referred to as the RCPCH, is the professional body for paediatricians (doctors specialising in child health) in the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the postgraduate training of paed ...

Charitable work

After arriving in Walsall, Gatrad worked to raise funds to construct the first purpose-built Mosque in the town, Masjid-Al-Farouq He is chief executive, and a trustee of the Midland International Aid Trust, a charity registered in England and Wales. He is the founder of Walsall Against Single Use plastic (WASUP), which is being expanded as World Against Single Use plastic. He created the Jubaida Gatrad Maternity & Children's Hospital, named after his mother, in Gujarat.

Recognition

Gatrad was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the

2002 New Year Honours New Years' Honours are announced on or around the date of the New Year in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The dates vary, both from year to year and from country to country. All are published in supplements to the London Ga ...

, "for services to paediatrics and to ethnic minority communities". In 2014 he was awarded the

Freedom of the Borough The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...

of the Walsall in acknowledgement of halving the mortality of new-borns in Walsall, and for his work to improve paediatric services. In 2015 he received the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science (D.Sc) from the University of Wolverhampton. In 2017, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health awarded him honorary fellowship.

Rotary International Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, prof ...

awarded him their Paul Harris Fellowship for his work helping to eradicate polio, and for setting up an orphanage for 200 children in Lalpur, India. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP), and Member of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (MRCS) and has a silver-level National Award for Clinical Excellence. Since 2014, he has served as a Deputy Lieutenant of the West Midlands county.

Personal life

At Pinderfields he met Valerie, then a student nurse; the couple were married in 1975. Their daughter and son are both teachers. His autobiography, 'Moments in Time: From Postman to Professor and Beyond', was published in 2017.

Bibliography

* * *

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gatrad, Rashid Living people Date of birth missing (living people) British paediatricians Officers of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians People from Blantyre People educated at Harrow College Alumni of the University of Leeds University of Kentucky faculty Academics of the University of Wolverhampton Deputy Lieutenants of the West Midlands (county) Fellows of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health 1946 births Memon people Malawian emigrants to the United Kingdom