Prolific surgeon and columnist Dr Yusuf Kodwavwalla Dawood has died in the United Kingdom aged 94.
His son Jaan Yusuf broke the news of his demise on Saturday, saying “my dad slipped away from us in the early hours of this morning. May his soul rest in peace.”
For 38 years, Dr Yusuf K Dawood won himself a large loyal follower for his prolific Surgeon’s Diary column on Sunday Nation, and on Sunday, fans condoled with his family and friends after news of demise spread.
Dr. Yusuf Kodwavwala Dawood in his office.
Photo credit: File
He was born in India on September 13, 1928, in a family of five brothers and a sister, and came to Kenya in 1961 where he launched his surgery career at the Aga Khan Hospital.
In 1975, he was appointed the hospital’s executive director.
His work, experience and unique writing skill enabled his fans to interact closely with him through his articles, treating his readers to a ‘medical sermon’ every Sunday.
Dr Dawood was a committed member of Rotary and was once the president of all Rotary clubs in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
In one of his articles, Dr Dawood told an interviewer that he had four wives: surgery, Rotary, writing and Marie Dawood. However, the order in which he mentioned the ‘four wives’ in his response nearly got him in trouble with Marie, he added.
“I thought I had been smart in the response… until I got home and found to my horror that Marie had watched the live interview. She met me at the door and confronted me. ‘I don’t mind being one of your four wives because the other three are inanimate, but I do object to your pecking order!’”
“I took refuge in our African culture and replied: ‘The last wife is usually the prettiest and youngest.’ And marital harmony was restored,” Dr Dawood continues.
Dr. Yusuf Kodwavwala Dawood and his wife Marie Kodwavwala addressing guests during a thanksgiving dinner held at Muthaiga Country Club, Nairobi, on February 23, 2017.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
