Dental surgeon who founded Bacha Khan Dental College dies

PESHAWAR: The life of Prof Umar Khitab was full of struggle and complications for which he neither complained nor blamed others. A noted dental surgeon by profession and founding principal of Bacha Khan Dental College in Mardan, Prof Dr Umar Khitab passed away on Thursday after protracted illness.

A large number of people belonging to different walks of life, mostly doctors, attended his funeral prayer at Sheikh Maltoon town in Mardan on Thursday.

He was laid to rest at his ancestral graveyard. The embodiment of commitment and determination, Dr Umar Khitab was devoted to his career. He was the first person in his family to become a doctor.

He belonged to a village near Shankar in rural Mardan. He went to the United Kingdom for post-graduation in maxillofacial surgery after graduating from the Khyber College of Dentistry (KCD) in Peshawar in 1987. Dr Umar Khitab joined KCD upon his arrival from UK and built his reputation as a polite, hard-working and patient-friendly doctor.

He established himself as a professional dentist when he opened his private clinic in Mardan. It was during his stint as head of the Dentistry Department at the Bacha Khan Medical College (BKMC) when he dreamed about establishing a dental college in Mardan.

Though it was a herculean task, his firm belief and dedication made it happen. Dr Umar Khitab faced a lot of hurdles but he never gave in. He singlehandedly set up the dental college in Mardan. However, it took a toll on his health as he did not take care of himself and worked untiringly to see his dream come true.

He spent his own money to buy equipment for the college before its final inspection by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to grant recognition to it. He spent a sleepless night worrying about the inspection day.

It was his burning desire to see the dental college getting recognition. Unfortunately, on the day of inspection Dr Umar Khitab collapsed and was taken to hospital where he was diagnosed with brain tumour.

Being aware of his disease, he accelerated his efforts to get the college recognised. Prof Ghulam Rasool, a senior dental surgeon and former dean KCD and a colleague of late Dr Umar Khitab, remembers his words, “I must get my college recognised before something happens to me.”

“Dr Umar Khitab was a thorough gentleman and was a source of motivation for the people around him,” said Prof Ghulam Rasool. Dental treatment is very expensive all over the world and is almost beyond the reach of the poor patients, but Dr Umar Khitab never charged the poor patients at his clinic.

He used to help poor students of his native area and those referred to him for financial assistance. He had established a trust and supported as many as 300 students financially. “I have never seen a person like him. He was always willing to help others,” said Prof Ghulam Rasool.

He termed his death an irreversible loss to the medical profession. “He was the founder of Bacha Khan Dental College. It was his brainchild. He convinced the political leadership, developed the infrastructure and finally get it recognised by PMDC,” he recalled. He pointed out that Dr Umar Khitab purchased equipment worth Rs2.8 million for the college from his own pocket.

“He sacrificed a lot for his profession. He was fully devoted to his cause and always preferred his professional goals over his family,” recalled Prof Ghulam Rasool. “He was supportive of everyone. Personally I excelled in my profession because of Dr Umar Khitab,” he said.

“I cannot forget the time when he encouraged me to join this profession. He motivated me to quit my practice and leave my family behind and go abroad for higher studies,” he said. “Words can’t explain his qualities and contributions,” he added.