Former executive director of Karachi’s Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) Dr Seemin Jamali passed away in Karachi on Saturday, her family said.

Her brother Bilal Memon told Dawn.com that Dr Jamali was a cancer patient and was admitted to Aga Khan University Hospital around eight days ago where she breathed her last at 7:30pm today. She was 61 years old, he added.

Dr Jamali has left behind her husband, Dr AR Jamali and two sons, Omar Jamali and Baber Jamali, Memon said.

According to a condolence reference issued by her family, her funeral prayers will be held at the JPMC mosque at Asr tomorrow (Sunday).

Condolences

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah expressed grief over Dr Jamali’s demise, remembering her as a “very brave and strong woman”.

In a statement, he prayed for her high ranks.

Separately, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari termed Dr Jamali’s death “a great loss for the health sector”.

“Dr Seemin Jamali’s services during Covid-19 would never be forgotten,” he said in a statement.

Separately, in a tweet, he extended condolences to her family.

Dr Jamali’s illustrious medical career

Dr Jamali joined JPMC as a medical officer in 1988 after completing her medical education in Nawabshah and house job at Civil Hospital Karachi.

In 1993, she acquired an advanced degree in public health management (MPHM) from Thailand and was appointed as the in-charge of JPMC’s emergency department in 1995.

Later, she was awarded a scholarship for post-doctoral fellowship in public health policy and injury prevention at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA.

Dr Jamali became the hospital’s joint executive director in 2010 and then executive director after six years. Her achievements included several initiatives launched for the first time in the public sector in Sindh; launch of an emergency care training programme at JPMC, establishment of a morgue and dog-bite treatment centre.

She was on duty the day a bomb blast occurred at the doors of the hospital in 2010, injuring many, including her.

This devastation motivated her to transform the emergency department into a state-of-the-art unit with the help of public-private assistance.

Dr Jamali retired from JPMC in 2021, after 33 years of service.

During her service, she received numerous national and international tributes and awards, including Tamgha-e-Imtiaz and Women Achievement Awards.

Additional reporting by Syed Talal Ahsan