LAHORE: Eminent physician Prof Dr Faisal Masood died of a cardiac arrest at his Akbar Chowk home on Friday evening. He was 65.

He was serving as the Director General Human Organ Transplant Authority Punjab. Earlier, he remained the vice chancellor of the King Edward Medical University.

Dr Masood was living at his 803-C, Faisal Town residence along with his sister. He was preparing to leave for his clinic established in a portion of his residence when he complained of chest compression, his colleagues told Dawn. He collapsed within a few minutes and his sister took him to a private hospital where doctors pronounced him dead. His two daughters are settled abroad.

The “sudden death” of Lahore’s top medicine specialist sent a wave of shock among the community.

Born in October 1954, Prof Masood did his MBBS from Multan’s Nishtar Medical University in 1976, securing top position in the institute. He became a Member of Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh, Glasgow and London in 1982 and a Fellow of Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh in 1998.

Since his area of expertise was endocrinology, he had established a state-of-the-art diabetes management centre at the Services Hospital Lahore, the first facility of its kind in any public sector medical institution in Punjab.

After serving as principal of the Services Institute of Medical Sciences, he remained the KEMU vice chancellor (2013-217). He had also played a key role in controlling dengue epidemic in Punjab in 2011.

He was appointed by the then government head of Dengue Expert Advisory Group to draw up treatment protocols and guidelines for its management.

His funeral prayers will be held today (Saturday) at G Block, Model Town, after Zohr.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2019