Tribute will ensure the lasting legacy of Dr Kazim who devoted his life to the care of patients in the UAE and beyond
Move is in line with DHCC efforts to acknowledge pioneers of the region’s medical history, including Al Razi, Ibn Sina and Al Zahrawi
Dubai, November 14 2021: Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC), the emirate’s healthcare enabling freezone, has paid tribute to Dr Ahmed Kazim, the first Emirati Doctor, naming a building after the esteemed, prominent doctor.
Dr Kazim was recognized in 2014 by the UAE Pioneers Award as the first Emirati Doctor. The Award is given to UAE pioneers in diverse fields in honour of their service to the nation and their pioneering spirit and for being the first in their respective fields.
Dr Kazim graduated from medical school in 1950 and started his career in 1955. He went on to devote his life to the care of patients in the UAE and beyond for more than 60 years. Dr Kazim died recently at the age of 89.
In honour of Dr Kazim’s pioneering efforts towards the medical profession in the UAE, DHCC has renamed one of the key buildings in its community, building No. 33 after him to ensure his legacy lives on.
The tribute comes as part of the DHCC’s approach of recognising prominent names throughout the region’s medical history, including of polymaths, physicians and scientists. DHCC’s Ibn Sina Medical Complex (Building 27) is named after Ibn Sina, a polymath who is regarded as one of the most significant physicians, astronomers, thinkers and writers of the Islamic Golden Age, and the father of early modern medicine.
The Al Razi Medical Complex (Building 64) honours Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Zakariyyāʾ Al Razi a physician, philosopher and alchemist, widely considered one of the most important figures in the history of medicine, while the Al Zahrawi Medical Complex (Building 34) was named in tribute to Abū Al Qāsim Khalaf ibn Al Abbās Al Zahrāwī a physician, surgeon and chemist who was considered to be the greatest surgeon of the Middle Ages. He has been referred to as the ‘father of modern surgery’.
“Dr Ahmed Kazim was a truly inspirational figure, both as person and as a medical professional. Without the dedicated service of selfless individuals such as Dr Kazim we wouldn’t be where we are today as a regional destination for healthcare excellence,” said Mr. Jamal Abdulsalam, CEO, Dubai Healthcare City Authority, the regulator of Dubai Healthcare City free zone.
“Renaming one of the buildings in our community after Dr Kazim will insure his legacy lives among all of us, from our business partners and stakeholders to patients and visitors. This initiative acknowledges Dr. Kazim great work, immortalises his name among the most influential figures of the region’s medical history.”
Houria Kazim, daughter of the late Dr. Kazim and the first female Emirati Surgeon said “My father loved being a Surgeon. His life’s work was about improving the lives of others and in doing so, has left a giant footprint for all of us to walk in. Adding his name to a building in DHCC, among the names of some of the most important figures in the history of Medicine, is an honour and tribute to my father’s service and leadership in the UAE. On behalf of my entire family and especially from myself, his daughter and a Surgeon too, we thank the DHCC for this incredible recognition of my father’s work. As people navigate around this building, in sight of the medical centre he worked in and loved, my wish is that they will be inspired and strive, like he did, towards the improvement of their patient’s lives.”
Dr Ahmed Kazim Bio
Born in Dubai, Dr Ahmed Kazim attended high school (St Xavier’s College) and medical school (Grant Medical College) in Bombay/Mumbai.
He graduated from Grant Medical College in 1950. He was the first Emirati doctor – receiving his Fellowship in Surgery from the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh in 1958 and from the Royal College of Surgeons in London, England in 1960.
He returned to Trinidad in 1962 and went back to work at the POS General Hospital as a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon as well as in his private practice.
In 1976 he returned to the UAE and served the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) for many years, as Head of the Surgical Department at Rashid Hospital and then opened the Orthopaedic department at Dubai Hospital. He retired from the DHA in 2004 but continued in his private practice until 2019.