Interview with Dr. Aamer Nazir Ahmad

By: Maryam Aamer

Q. Give us a brief introduction about yourself.

A. My name is Aamer Nazir Ahmad. I am a physician by profession, a father to 5 kids and currently employed at Shifa International Hospital as a medical specialist.

Q. Walk us through your academic journey. Where did you do your MBBS and specialization from?

A. My primary education is from Saudi Arabia till grade 12, after which I did my MBBS from Rawalpindi Medical College in 1996. I did my house job in Pakistan before moving to the US to complete my internal medicine residency. After board certification, I moved back to Pakistan in 2002.

Q. How long have you been affiliated with Shifa?

A. I began practising in Shifa International Hospital after returning to Pakistan in 2002, so it has been two decades.

Q. What exactly is your role in Shifa College of Medicine?

A. I lead the Student Affairs department in SCM, an office that oversees many college functions. We handle all affairs related to the students – from admission to graduation and even after graduation as alumni.

The admission process begins with the advertisements, followed by receiving the applications, preparing the entry tests and conducting the interviews. During this time, any problems that the students face are dealt with by our department as well. Furthermore, we issue letters of recommendation for the electives that all students require to complete as part of the curriculum.

After graduation, if the students wish to continue higher education, all the necessary paperwork is managed by Student Affairs. The convocation ceremony is also organized by us, in collaboration with Shifa Tameer e Millat University.

This was a brief outline of the work I manage with my team.

Q. Why did you consider the speciality that you chose?

A. There isn’t one specific reason for it. I wasn’t very interested in surgery from the beginning. At the time of my graduation, the foreign medical students who moved to the USA did not have many choices. Internal Medicine was one of the options I found suitable for myself, so I pursued it once I was matched into my residency program.

Q. What has been your most memorable moment at Shifa?

A. Every stage has its own share of memories.

Initially, when I joined Shifa, I was part of the Medical Staff Affairs Department, which supervises the medical administration. I spent a year there, after which I started part-time practice, which later became full-time practice when I left the administration after another year. Both of these experiences had their trials and merits.

When you start your practice, you are trying to settle down and build your career. After you’ve established your work, you move towards managing the pool of patients and ensuring that everything runs smoothly.

As a junior, one’s feelings and scope of activities differ from those one has after establishing themselves. Every moment is enjoyable and worth remembering, provided that you are content with the services you provide to the health care system.

Q. Who was your inspiration in your career or life in general?

A. My parents, seniors, teachers and colleagues have all inspired me to be the change I want to see. My father and maternal grandfather were doctors, which inspired my decision to choose this field.

Q. How do you think Shifa College of Medicine is different from other medical colleges?

A. SCM is distinct from other medical colleges because its founders were not mainly motivated by financial gain. They had a vision – to create a state-of-the-art educational institution for future generations.

For this purpose, Dr. Muhammad Amin – who has now passed away – voluntarily managed the institution for 13 years without taking a salary. During the years that he remained Dean of the college, his motivation and dedication to his work never faltered.

Despite his limited resources, Dr. Amin built a competent team from different backgrounds and laid the foundations for a world-class college. He led his institution through different phases of regulation, tirelessly managing and regulating all necessary policies.

One of the recognizable steps he took was the early adaptation of the medical education transformations occurring globally. We are the first college in Pakistan to introduce a modular integrated curriculum. Another Dr. Amin’s achievement was involving the faculty and appropriately training them for this system.

In a nutshell, SCM is different because of how swiftly and successfully it flourished in the modern world – despite the limited resources available to its founders.

Q. a) Since your speciality is internal Medicine, what is a common mistake or myth regarding Medicine that you have observed in your patients?

A. Myths and mistakes greatly vary in our population, depending on the patients’ ethnicity, age, gender, cultural and educational background.

For example, a common mistake that adults make is taking antibiotics unnecessarily and without completing their required dose. This only leads to increased drug resistance and more severe disease cases in the future.

Q. b) What would you say is the reason behind this mistake?

A. I believe there is a lack of education, regulations, and implementation of rules in our society.

I have noticed that the general public is very quick to diagnose themselves or others, regardless of whether or not they have the relevant knowledge. This may often aggravate a situation which was otherwise treatable if presented to a qualified physician.

Q. What are your hobbies?

A. Keeping up with current affairs is something I like to do in my spare time. I seek to read articles about general knowledge and the world’s issues to keep myself informed.

Q. What is your favourite childhood memory?

A. My early education is from Madina, Saudi Arabia. The time spent in the city of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and Masjid-e-Nabwi is some of my best memories. The salahs I performed, the Ramadans I fasted, and the Hajj and Umrahs I performed are all experiences that I will treasure. And I am thankful to Allah (SWT) for allowing me to have such experiences in my life.

Q. You deal with students new to the healthcare field and wish to join it. Who would you recommend to enter the health care profession? What particular qualities or skills must they have?

A. A person interested in the service of humanity and realistically believes that they will be able to do so is suitable for this work in life. Dedication, motivation and the ability to think beyond themselves are all necessary traits a health care provider must possess. You must be willing to put in your continuous effort and live by a sense of ethics and morality.

Financial capability is another factor to consider in today’s world. Unsurprisingly, being able to study Medicine is expensive, and the expenses may only increase in the future. So one must ensure that their families can financially support them through this long journey in the health care field.

To summarize, the health care profession is for you if you are interested in the subject, the skills mentioned above, financial resources, and a lifelong sense of commitment.

Q. Finally, what message would you like to convey to the students who are already in the healthcare field?

A. Now that you have committed to this journey try to understand your roles and fulfil them to your utmost capabilities. Keep improving every day, as new changes are constantly being made globally in our field of work. Benefit from the healthcare profession, and let the profession benefit from you.