KARACHI: Renowned haematologist Dr Tahir Shamsi passed away here on Tuesday after a brief illness, his family and friends said.

They added that doctor Shamsi had last week suffered a brain haemorrhage and was admitted to a private medical facility, where he had undergone a surgery but his condition remained critical.

He was put on ventilator after the surgery but he could not survive and died on Tuesday morning.

His funeral prayers were offered at Najam Mosque on Tipu Sultan Road and were attended by thousands of people, including political leaders. He was laid to rest in the Yousufpura graveyard on RCD Highway. He is survived by a widow, two sons and three daughters.

President Dr Arif Alvi expressed his grief over his death and observed that his contributions towards bone-marrow transplant and blood cancer would always be remembered.

Dr Shamsi is credited with introducing bone-marrow transplant in Pakistan in 1996. He founded the National Institute of Blood Diseases (NIBD) and performed 650 bone-marrow transplants and also wrote over 100 research articles.

In 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic struck Pakistan, he was among the first medical science professionals who had proposed a treatment of its patients through passive immunisation and sought government approval to infuse Covid-19 patients with blood plasma of those who had recovered from the illness.

Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2021