DR KEM SIVASANKER – FIRST MEDICAL DOCTOR OF OTTAWA

 

KEM SIVASANKER ATTENDED THE PRINCE OF WALES MEDICAL COLLEGE AT PATNA UNIVERSITY IN INDIA FROM 1962 TO 1968

 
By Subry Govender

One of the first youngsters of our Ottawa village to have qualified as a medical doctor is Dr Kemraj Sivasanker, who is the second son of Ottawa’s school-building stalwart, Mr Sivasanker Badlu.
Born on September 30 1941, Kemraj attended the old Jhugroo Primary School and completed his matriculation at the Verulam High School in 1961. He passed his matriculation with distinction and was awarded the Dux Ludorum.

(Kem Sivasanker (2nd from left standing) seen with his class mates at Verulam High in 1959)

  

 

                                   

(Kem (first row                            from left standing)                       with his matric                            class in 1961)

(Kem (2nd from right standing) with his top achiever's team in Verulam High in the late 1950s)

                                                               (Kem with his Dux                                        Ludorum                                                       award  at                                                     Verulam High in                                           1961.)

He was keen to enter the medical field and after attending one semester at Salisbury University for Indians at the Durban harbour, Kemraj was informed by the Government of India in June 1962 that he had been awarded a scholarship to study for his medical degree at the Prince of Wales Medical college at Patna University.
He started his studies in August 1962 and graduated with a medical degree in April 1968.

(Dr Kemraj Sivasanker after his graduation as a medical doctor at the Patna University in April 1968. He is seen here with his wife, Vina, who was a fellow student at the university from Kampala in Uganda.)

In his communications with me, Dr Sivasanker said that at the time of his admission, Patna University was one of five oldest medical colleges in India that was recognized both by the South African Medical and Dental Council (SAMDC) and the General Medical Council in the United Kingdom.

After his graduation, Dr Sivasanker moved to the UK where he trained as an acute paediatrician and worked in hospitals.
“In the mid-1980s the College of Paediatrics established a new sub speciality of Neuro Developmental Paediatrics and the Faculty of Community Medicine by Royal Charter was merged with the College of Paediatrics. This led to the formation of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
“I spent a year each at the Wolfson Centre and the Institute of Child Health on refresher courses to work in the new position. I also had a keen interest in paediatric audiology and conducted clinics assessing, diagnosing and managing hearing loss, including rehabilitation where indicated.
“My other interest outside acute paediatrics lay in adoption, which I developed in 1975 alongside audiology.
“I was paediatric consultant to the adoption agency and developed expert experience especially in the field of international adoption.”
During the course of his medical career, Dr Sivasanker earned not only his MD degree but also the MB, MFCH, MRCPCH, FRIPHH and FRSH.

(Dr Kemraj and his wife, Vina,  after their marriage in December 1968.)

In 1965 Dr Sivasanker met his “college sweetheart”, Vina, who was from Kampala in Uganda.
They married on December 8 1968 while she was still mid-way through her studies.
They have one son, Dr Vimal Sivasanker, MA MB FRCPsych, who is a senior consultant adult psychiatrist. He specialises in intensive care and supervises high end cases.
They also have a grand-daughter, Lily.
Dr Kemraj said he partially retired in 2002 but continued to provide audiology and adoption services.
“When my spouse retired as a senior partner from her family practice, I dropped the services I had continued to provide.
“However, I continued to provide gratis for a further two years my expert services to an independent adoption agency as they needed my input. 
“I eventually hung up my stethoscope in 2010 when both of us were now retired and could spend quality time together. We both love to travel and have travelled widely to many parts of the world.

(Dr Kemraj with his wife, Vina, son Dr Vimal Sivasanker, daughter-in-law, and grand-daughter, Lily, at their home in London. They were celebrating his 80th birthday in 2021.)

“We are great foodies and London is the melting pot of universal cuisines. We love visual and performing arts in particular theatre. Both of us are avid readers and I indulge in thrillers interspersed with some heavy reading.

“Both of us also love music and dancing and we still go clubbing with the younger extended family members from very diverse backgrounds. There is no ageism among us and we all party together. I am very much into ballroom but my spouse is very Bollywood. We also played badminton and table tennis until recently. My spouse is an ex Ugandan badminton champion.
“I often drive into the countryside as there is so much to see.
“We are blessed with several parks in London where we have long walks which we love.
“London has so much to offer in retirement that one never gets bored. We have a saying here that if you are tired of London then you are tired of life. We certainly are not.”  

(Dr Sivasanker and wife, Vina, during one of their recent travels.)

Dr Sivasanker is very proud of his parents and the community of Ottawa at large for concentrating their energies in developing educational facilities for the children of Ottawa.

"Our people in the village of Ottawa have demonstrated that despite their poor and sugar cane workers' backgrounds they wanted their children to attain the highest educational qualifications. It was because of their untiring efforts that many of the children became doctors, teachers, accountants, lawyers, and business people. We owe the community a debt of gratitude and that is why we are attached emotionally to the Ottawa village." ends – subrygovender@gmail.com  May 18 2024