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.s