He was a A Doctor with a Heart.
On the evening of Monday 29 Oct. 2007, I received this SMS from Sdr Wan Mus.
“Very sad news. Just heard from Mokhtar who got it from Bahariah who got it from Daisy, that our great and friend Nik Zainal has passed away. Innalillah wainna ilaihirajiun.”
He died in a vehicle accident in Bentong, Pahang.
A loss to may of us (and to me, he was my Cardiologist). He looked after me all these while, before my heart bypass operations and after my bypass operations. I blogged this in my
personal blog (in Nov. 2004 under a series called “My Heart”).
He was buried at the Titiwangsa Muslim Cemetary, at about Zohor prayers time on 30th Nov. 2007, with all friends and relative present.
Some photoes at his funeral,Old Classmates,
Relative and friends,
and his final departure from his house.
This was what the local press said.The Star,Tuesday October 30, 2007
Celebrated cardiologist killed in mishap
KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Dr Nik Zainal Abidin Abdul Rahman who set up the first fully equipped cardiac catheterisation laboratory at the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital in 1977 was killed in an accident in Bentong yesterday.
Dr Nik Zainal, 65, whose four-wheel drive collided with a trailer at about 5pm near the Karak Highway, died at the scene. A friend who was accompanying him escaped unhurt.
A traffic police spokesman said Dr Nik Zainal was heading towards Bentong town from his house in Janda Baik and was about to enter the highway when the incident occurred.
Health Ministry director-general Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican described Dr Nik Zainal as a cardiologist who brought fame to the hospital and the country in general.
"His contribution in the medical field is immense and so is his reputation. He produced so many good doctors especially cardiologists in this country," he said.
Dr Nik Zainal was also a member of the team that was involved in the first coronary by-pass surgery in the country on Oct 22, 1982.
The New Straits Times.2007/10/31
Cardiologist’s death a loss to nation
KUALA LUMPUR: Well-known cardiologist Datuk Dr Nik Zainal Abidin Abdul Rahman, who was killed in an accident on Monday, has been described as a brilliant, innovative and hardworking man.
His sudden death came as a shock to many, especially those who saw him a few days ago.
National Heart Institute’s medical director Datuk Seri Dr Robaayah Zambahari said Dr Nik was the country’s first trained cardiologist at Hospital Kuala Lumpur.
He was the first to set up the cardiology department at HKL in the 1970s and initiated several programmes, including a school health programme to screen students for heart murmur.
In 1982, he started the cardiothoracic programme at the hospital. Two years later, he left the government service and set up the cardiology unit at Tawakal Hospital.
IJN’s consultant cardiac anaesthesiologist Datuk Dr Syed Abdul Aziz Zin said Dr Nik’s demise was a loss to the nation, especially in the field of cardiac services.
HKL medical department head Datuk Dr Jeyaindran Sinnadurai said Dr Nik’s achievements and success stories were displayed at the hospital when the nation celebrated its 50th independence celebration.
“His contributions were limitless and his sudden demise is a loss to all.”
Dr Nik, 65, was killed when his four-wheel drive vehicle collided with a lorry about 5pm near the Karak Highway.
He was heading towards Bentong town from his house in Janda Baik and was about to enter the highway when the accident happened.
And some other printed matter on the accident found in the local vernacular press.
These are a few of the photoes that are available of the late Nik Zainal, taken from Class group photoes.Form V,1960
An informal farewell party,
In the 6th Form.
And my special guest at my son’s wedding early this year (2007).
And among those who knew him at school and from school mates, these remarks made in Yahoo! Group, unedited, part or whole.
1. Nothing can express our sadness on the loss. Its a great loss not only to us MCOBs, but also to the community.
2. A truly great loss to the nation.
Nik Zainal Abidin b Nik A Rahman was my dorm mate in Mohd Shah House, entering Kolet in 1959 after Form III from SIC of KBharu.
In 1962 he was prefect occupying cubicle in Dorm 9 of Overflow where Khalil 'badak' once occupied.
He was a very studious and excellent debater in Kolet, even got praised and lauded by outside teachers who judged interschool debates whenever Nik Zainal participated. His habit was to stand with arms folded most of the time, moving them occassionally with palm-size aide memoir, like KaramSingh Walia to emphasise points during debates. His remarks normally would start with 'Gentlemen.. ..' even during interschool debates, a habit so developed because Union Night interhouse debates in Kolet only involved batangs.
For that he was once rebuked by a female school debater from Taiping for not being gentlemanly and ignoring the presence of '(them) ladies.....' . Of course Nik Zainal (I called him Nizar) stood up and apologised profusedly after that. Still he attained best debater status after that.
After qualifying as a specialist he served at GHKL, as the first qualified Malaysian cardiologist I think. Before that RP Pillai was performing as 'cardiologist' and has his Ward 13 maintained as CVT clinic during Tunku A Rahman days. He was eclipsed by Nik. But Nik left govt service for the private sector to continue seriving Malaysian here.
The last time he visited Kolet I think was 1985 to witness his son (now doctor) receiving some academic award from Tunku A Rahman.
Allahummagh- firlahu-warHamhu -wa-'afihi wa'- fu- 'anh(u) !
Sesungguhnya suatu kehilangan yang sangat menghiris kalbu kerana pekertinya dan kebolehannya adalah sangat mithali dan tak pernah mendengar dia menghina orang dlm kata-kata maupun perlakuannya. ......... ..Sesungguhnya Allahu-yarham- wa-yasallaam Nik Zainal Abidin b Nik A Rahman adalah mulia kekeluargaannya, wataknya dan jasanya.
3. WE HAVE A LOST A GOOD MAN .MAY GOD BLESS HIS SOUL
4. Arwah treated my wife's heart ailment in the early eighties when he was in KLGH and just last year, he also treated my 70 year old uncle at Gleneagles Ampang
5. Attached hereto is a 1985-photograph of the late D Dr Nik Zainal Abidin b Nik A Rahman standing at extreme left, taken on Speechh Day when the late Tunku A Rahman Putra Alhaj was the guest of honour.
(photo not attached, not available at the time of publication)
6. Just heard the sad news over the chat group. What a loss!
7. I remember Nik very fondly while we were together in Sixth Form. He went to Australia, and I, Canada. Later when we were again together at GHKL as specialists, we both shared great dreams for that institution. However it was not meant to be. We left government service within a few months of each other. It was a wrenching decision for both of us as we supported each other very much while putting up with the "frus" at GHKL. My prayers and condolences to his wife and family.
A true professional! I remember being jointly involved with him in the care of a very sick child with both surgical and heart problems. He knew the capabilities of local talent there better than me, having received part of his training there. I remember the subtle pressures on us to do the case locally but in the end Nik was adamant that we did what was best for the patient and to hell with local professional and other sensitivities. We discussed the situation with the family and decided to transfer the patient out of the country. That's Nik for you, always the professional, always thinking of his patients first and everything else secondary.
Many years later, we reconnected and I remember how impressed I was with his well-equipped clinic. His was far superior to what my colleagues here in California had then. I was even more pleased to see how happy he was being freed from the bureaucratic tangles.
May Allah bless his soul, and may Allah bring comfort and solace to his family in this time of sudden profound sorrow. we share in their sadness.
8. Met him only once or twice when he sent his son (my junior to College) to MCKK, as his son and I were in the same dormitory in 1985. Nik Helmy, his son, was also a very good college debater and has turned out to be a heart surgeon too.
9. Dr Nik Zainal who arrived as a trained cardiologist in 1977 organized the first fully equipped cardiac catheterization laboratory at General Hospital, Kuala Lumpur. CABG surgery then commenced in 1982. The challenges he faced were explained in his Sukaman Lecture in 1994.
10. My late father in-law, Raja Jallaludin Raja Tun Uda (himself an old boy) enjoyed many years of good life under the best of care of Arwah Dato' Nik Zainal at Tawakkal.
11. i remember dato nik as a very strict prefect, whom i encountered in 1961 when i
entered kolej in 1961 in form 1 and housed in the overflow.
as allah had willed it, he later 'looked after me' for he was my consultant heart doc
initially at tawakkal and later at gleneagle. i think every budak kolet is dear to him would therefpore receive 'special treatment' for i noticed that there was a mark on my folder at his clinic identifying myself as a collegian !
every visit to him would start with casual talk on matters ranging from the good old days at the kolej, to current political scenes. but what i remember most about him is his encouraging assurance about my good health, though i must not miss my daily dosage of norvasc. when i undewent the annual treadmill test, he would just say 'that's enough' after i completed the 3rd stage, testifying that i was fit enough.
was it pop who mentioned that dato' last visit to kolej was in 1985 ? but i thought i saw him in kolej at the centennial - he and his batchmates attired in their special class shirts.
(
blog writer’s remark: yes he was there at the college centennial, see photo enclosed)
(front second from left)
his demise is surely a great loss not just to the family, but to us all the collegians, his patients and the country too. as someone sharing the same alma mater, and as his patient, i shall miss a lot.
12. In my mind now may be from posting Bro Zamli on the roles of the late Dato Nik Zainal in the developement of Medical Sciences esp in Cardiology in Malaysia...A `foundation` under his name should be set up for the future of Malaysians in Medical Sciences . Any body can help and want to get involve? Surely Sinar Harian will help
13. As I said yesterday we have lost a good man and with the will of Allah he has managed to keep quite many Malaysians healthy and a longer life (?) .But what happened yesterday at the funeral , I feel that he deserved a much better treatment , respect and honour. The cortege was supposed to leave the house at 10 am and the crowd was there and most conspicuous of course C60 who were there in full force ; I was told they were there even at Bentong when the accident occured. I must compliment the founder of this MCOBA e-mail group because the sad news came in as early at 7.36pm and thereafter more stories and messages came in.Putting that aside , I was most disappointed with the problems of getting the burial site for our illustrious old boy due to his house address and that caused the delay.When the site was confirmed , I was told the gate was locked and they have not dug the hole not until 11am.Thus , the body was brought for burial only around12.30pm and the whole process completed after the azan zohor was heard.
I would like to suggest that there should be flexibility as where a Muslim dead body should be buried , if there is space in any Muslim cemetery nearby and not limiting to the residents around the cemetery only.After all the whole land belongs to God and the space taken by a body is only 6x4x6 for a normal size person.I would have expected that AY Dato’ Dr. Nik Zainal to be allowed to be buried in Ampang or Bukit Kiara , which has plenty of space .(In this respect ,we hope the Court will lift the injunction obtained by the adjoining Flat Residents to disallow entry into the already completed well-laid out burial lots at Bukit Kiara ,since the original area are almost full .)
We pray that Allah will bless Dr.Nik Zainal ‘s soul and May Allah bring comfort and solace to his bereaved family members .Al-Faatihah.
14. The late Datuk Dr Nik Zainal was my physician since 1980 and I last saw him just before the Ramadhan for my check-up, when he invited me to join him and the Patikans for the korban during the coming Idil-Adha at Janda Baik. Let me pay my tribute to him in a poem. May Allah Swt bless his soul always.
TRIBUTE TO NIK ZAINAL
I wandered lonely and lost among the crowd
Through the moving bodies none was aloud
I saw the red noses and the tearful eyes
As I read the verses bidding my goodbyes
He was no thief, no policeman and never a golfer
To be quick in a squash court was not that proper
He was only great a man, a real super-duper
Nik was a senior, a friend and a good doctor
Nik would be missed no doubt he will be
Surely a great loss not just to the family
To patients, collegians, whoever may be
To all his Patikans and people so many
Tragic was his demise only some would know
Some have many tales of a man he was before
A Collegian of true colours as proven a hard core
Folded arms and chosen words in him they saw
It was the way to go that he was laid to rest
Who are we to question, but Allah knows best
My prefect in school and my prefect for life
With my health, he is even worse than my wife
Meeting him was fun for the last twenty seven years
For all his care, none the tardiness and all the cheers
Giving me a clean bill, but with none less his advice
And smoking is taboo and the habit he most despise
I remember him as small and round
Smiling face forever the background
His assurances and comforts abound
In his cardiological ways so profound
What he was is for the kins to remember
How he had lived in the ways so proper
Examples to follow and for all the children
Goodness will prevail through generation
Before time, he will never know his rewards
No matter how truly plentiful were his deeds
And how used were his wealths and awards
In attending to the hopefuls with all their needs
Inna lillah hi wa inna ilai hi rraa ji-ooon
Those alive would 'lafaz' it late or soon,
But this is what that will happen to us all
As we lay lifeless to know what all befall
Friday is not the only day for all our prayers
Death is not the only time to think of others
When every day is a real day of testament
Waiting to be called any time, any moment.
15. Yet, compassion and its humane outreach is missing even between drivers on Malaysian roads, why we've suddenly lost our arwah Datuk Dr Nik Zainal.
16. And a SMS from a Classmate living overseas.
It all seems unfair that such a beautiful person like Nik has to go so soon. When I last saw him at Bangsar he looked fit and bustling. It was such a shock fore me that I cried several times.
17. Life for his family, MCKK Patikan and even for all of us will NEVER EVER be the same again.
18. Not only do many blogs from many heart patients present and past and their loved ones outpour their gratitude and their dearly missing of him, he was the life in Patikan's monthly gatherings even hosting them at his Janda Baik retreat:
http://mckkpatikan. blogspot. com/http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mckkclass60/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mckk60/
Labels: heart doctor
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
