01/05/2020
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PESHAWAR: A noted dental surgeon and founding principal of Bacha Khan Dental College Mardan Prof Umar Khitab breathed his last after protracted illness.
A large number of people belonging to different walk of life, mostly doctors, attended his funeral prayer offered in Sheikh Maltoon in Mardan on Thursday and latter laid fo rest in the family graveyard.
Prof Umar Khitab’s life was full of hard struggle and complications but he never let it to affect his professional career or teaching.
He belonged to a village near Shankar in Mardan and was the first in family to become a doctor.
After his graduation from Khyber College of Dentistry (KCD) Peshawar in 1987, he went to the United Kingdom and qualified his post-graduation in Maxillofacial surgery.
Upon his arrival from UK, Dr Umar Khitab joined KCD and started teaching there.
While in KCD, he earned his reputation as a polite, hard worker and patient friendly doctor.
He was was the pioneer in establishing professional dentistry in his native Mardan and quickly became famous when he opened his private clinic there.
Later when a coalition government of Awami National Party (ANP) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) the first medical college in Mardan, Bacha Khan Medical College (BKMC), he was appointed as head of the dentistry department there.
Soon after joining the dentistry department, his dream was to establish a dental college in Mardan and started efforts to make his dream true.
It was not an easy task but his firm belief and continuous struggle made it happen.
Prof Umar Khitab faced lots of hurdles in but never lose heart. He single handedly efforts got Mardan a dental college but it deprived Prof Umar Khitab his health. He had almost forgotten himself and would always work for the college. He had to spend his own resources to buy equipment to the college before final inspection of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) for its recognition.
That night he never slept as he was enthusiastic and worried about the PMDC inspection next day to his newly established college.
It was his prime desire and the last achievement of his life long struggle was recognition of dental college.
Unfortunately on the day of inspection, Prof Umar Khitab collapsed and was taken to hospital.
When investigated, he was diagnosed with brain tumour.
Prof Umar Khitab was aware of his disease and that’s why he had accelerated his struggle for the college to be recognised.
Prof Ghulam Rasool, also a senior dental surgeon and former Dean KCD and close colleague of late Prof Umar Khitab, remember his words, “it’s better to get my college recognised before some thing happen to me.”
“Dr Umar Khitab was a thorough gentleman. He has been a source of motivation and supportive to everyone,” said Prof Ghulam Rasool.
People close to him were aware of how he used his medical profession for social service.
Dental treatment is considered very expensive allover the world and is almost beyond the reach of poor patients.
But Prof Umar Khitab would never charge poor patients in his clinic.
He used to help poor students of his native area and those referred to him for financial assistance.
He had developed a trust and used to support education expenses and books of 300 students out of his pocket.
Some of these students graduated engineering and Medicine/ Dentistry even upto FCPS.
“I have never seen a pandeeon like him. Being a poor person himself in his early age, he was always ready to help others,” said Prof Ghulam Rasool.
He termed his death is an irreversible loss to the medical profession.
“He had a great contribution to the profession specially he was the founder of Bacha Khan Dental College right from developing an idea, convincing the political leadership, development of the present huge infra structure, recognition by PMDC. I was remember that PMDC inspection team, he had purchased equipment worth Rs2.8 million out of his pocket for the government college. He sacrificed a lot for profession. He was fully devoted and has always preferred his professional goals over his family. His family suffered,” recalled Prof Ghulam Rasool.
He was suppotive to everyone. Personally I reached to the peak of profession because of Dr Umar Khitab.
“In two turning points in my life I cannot forget his driving role. First during entry to the profession he compelled me to join this profession and secondly he compelled me to leave my practice and my family and go for higher studies in the late stage,” he said.
“I can’t explain his countless qualities, contributions, sincerity and his grater support to everyone💜