My father was from Indian Gujarati Muslim heritage and was born in Malawi in Africa in 1958. He came to England with his parents and family seeking a better life when he was seven-years-old. They settled down in Ilford and my father went to the local comprehensive.

He overcame great adversity and studied very hard to get into University of Sheffield Medical School, which was unheard of for someone from his background in those days. Once qualified he went on to become a pillar of the NHS community in Newham for over 30 years, which is where he founded Woodgrange Medical Practice in Forest Gate.

Through his sheer determination and relentless commitment to patient care the practice went from strength to strength and expanded from serving 0 patients to over 15,000 patients as of today. My father loved Newham and the community he served, and I recall him saying to me that he wanted his practice to be the best practice in Newham.

This dream of his came true and went even further, when in 2017, his practice achieved an ‘outstanding rating’ from the Care Quality Commission making it only 1 out of 10 practices across the whole of London at the time, to achieve such a feat.

He was a beloved family man to all of his many relatives, a respected member of the community, a trustworthy friend, and a brilliant mentor to so many. A fundraiser was created by the family to continue his legacy by honouring charitable causes dear to him and over £30,000 was raised.

For more about the importance of protecting healthcare staff, read Pandemic opens door to online medical care.

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