Silent guardian

Last week marked the quiet retirement of Vice Chancellor of Dow University of Health Sciences Professor Saeed Quraishy, an unsung hero whose visionary leadership transformed Sindh’s public healthcare. My association with him began in 2005 at Surgical Unit 6, Civil Hospital Karachi, where, under his watch, the ward became a model of hygiene and discipline. A Dow graduate, he returned from the UK with an FRCS and pioneered minimally invasive surgery in Pakistan. Prof Saeed established Civil Hospital’s first modern endoscopy unit and a state-of-the-art laboratory. As medical superintendent in 2010, he ensured free medicines and surgical supplies, introduced the province’s first health information system and led a careful renovation of the historic building.

His most impactful legacy may be the 500-bed trauma centre in Karachi, a dream long imagined but never realised until his leadership. As Vice Chancellor of Dow University from 2017 to 2024, he ushered in an era of innovation, founding institutes for genomics, cancer care, infectious diseases and emerging technologies, including vaccine production. Despite these achievements, Prof Saeed remains a modest and quiet force, a true silent guardian of public health in Pakistan.

Dr Mahmood Khan

Karachi