A Conversation with Dr. Ali Hussain Rajput

An inspiring account. Bravo Dr. Rajput!! And special ``good job`` to the ministry of Health for spotting talent.

Thank you for this wonderful piece. Dr. Ali Rajput is an outstanding role model to trainees like myself, who aspire to excellence in the science and art of neurology. I just finished a neurology residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where Dr. Rajput`s name comes up often in regards to his contributions in Parkinson`s Disease research. He is indeed a trail-blazer. Like Ayub Omayya, Teepu Siddique and Ashfaq Shuaib, Dr. Rajput has reached the academic stratosphere in North American clinical neuroscience against great odds. His achievements are an inspiration to those of us who dream of academic neurology in Pakistan where, perhaps, the odds of success are even less than in Saskatoon. I have never met Dr. Rajput and look forward to doing so soon. This vivid, conversational Chowk profile has made him come alive. We will always be grateful for your example, Dr. Rajput.

Saad Shafqat

PS: Dr. sahib, I respect your priority claim about having examined more brains than any other neurologist, but I think Dr. C. Miller Fisher might have something to say about that, :-).

DR. RAJPUT MAKES US ALL SINDHIS PROUD BY ACHIEVING THAT EXTRAORDINARY STATUS IN THE FIELD OF MEDICINE.

The in depth interview of the Doctor sahib was a pleasure to read. He certainly is a talented man, and a resourceful one too, who despite the odds against him starting with his meek origins in chaak no 30 etal, to the time he became involved with lots of research but without the backing of a top most reasearch university grants/budget, did tremendously well...

Like somebody else said earlier kudos to Pakistan Ministry of health for spotting a real winner, whjen they turned down the Doctor Sahib from gainful employment back in Pakistan in the early 60`s. Just imagine if he had been able to setup some of the work he had done outside, imn Pakistan, surely some great advances in teaching orm practising of this novel and highly competitive field of neurological scinces might be more progressively endorsed....

Anyways, Thasnks to chowallahs for introducing such a leading light, who also happens to be a pakistani, deep down under the Canadian shroud...

Re : Nydoc

Sir you have every reason to be proud of Dr Ali Hussain, but i feel that narrowing his ethnicity down to being a Sindhi, though vwery accurate, is perhaps a trifle unfair. Perhaps what i want to say is that we ought to be all proud of him as a PAKISTANI first and foremost.

Quite a story.

It shows what education can do to a person.

I wonder how many Ali Hussains we have lost because of greater than 60% illiteracy rate in our society.

It was very motivating to read Dr Rajput`s endure. It`s also a motivation for all the students pursuing their education in foreign countries under all the diffculties to know that struggle does bear fruit and difficulties will be over sometime.

It`s also unfortunate to know how much talent we lose. But is it only the institutions ( Ministry of Health in this case) which are responsible for this or do the individual also carry some part of it ? Yes, we surely have problems, but who will solve them? If the talented people keep on finding their homes abroad, then the people at the helms of the affairs back at home will remain more or less the same about whom we complain now.

May be it`s quite difficult going for a job one thinks paying much lesser and perhaps also much lower than one`s abilities. But then we love our country, isn`t ? It may be quite frustating at the start, but hard work pays and it pays everywhere in world. Also when one sees the children of immigrants growing being pulled apart by two societies (unforunately many of them lose this duel without any mistake on their part), then perhaps this decision to return does not remain that bitter.

Note:-

This is an opinion and must not be treated as critism any way on Dr Rajput. His achievements are applaudable and his circumstances are and were known best only to him.

Atif Malik

Technical University of Hamburg, Germany

Dr Rajput, a source of inspiration for all Pakistanis. and a source of shame for the health ministry official who told Dr Rajput,``He`s not needed at home``.

It is unfortunate how somethings never change, especially back at home.

Pakistan has one of the worlds worst ratio of Neurologists to patient population. In US it`s 1 neurologist per 15,000 population where as for Pakistan it`s 1 neurologist per 12 to 15 million. Severe deficieny of trained Neurologists.As bad as it can get. One can literraly count on fingers ,that too of one hand.

Although I am relatively fresh in the field of Neurology having just finished fellowship in Stroke and have a long way to go. Let me share with you my experience.

Soon after I completed my residency training in Neurology, I approached Pakistan, Ministry of Health, for any vacancies in Federal or Provincial academic medical centers, I knew that these jobs pay almost nothing, but my interest was nonmaterialistic, to return home and serve and to do some basic clinical research .

I got the reply after 3 months on a small 5`` X 7`` piece of paper enclosed in a tattered envelope.

I quote:

``No vacancies currently exist for Neurology, please refer to Pakistani newspapers for any postings regarding job openings`` : unquote

I am pretty sure that, the then health minister had no idea what a Neurologist is and maybe no idea about his job either.

It`s a sad state of affairs back at home, too sad.

Faizan Hafeez

dr ali hussain is LMC graduate......i m also LMC graduate.....we both are ,in this sense....on the same boat.he is from sanghar...me also belong to interior sindh like Dr.A.H.Rajput...it is very fantastic /important interview for me to get guidance from dr.sb.pls tell me how can i contact dr A.H Rajput......
DR.SHAH MURAD MASTOI
021-4979746
0333-2119602