A legendary psychiatrist of Peshawar
Dr Imran Khan
The first death anniversary of the legendary psychiatrist, Prof Dr Muhammad Shafique, was commemorated at the Department of Psychiatry, Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar. Many people from different walks of life participated in the event. It is the same department that he established decades ago.
Muhammad Shafique was born on May 9, 1936, in Jalandhar, India. He was the son of Fazal Karim, who hailed from Multan and had a business in India. He had a sister and a brother, along with four half-siblings from his father’s second marriage. He migrated to Pakistan in September 1947, at the age of 11, during the Partition of India. His family settled in Multan. In 1965, he married Dr Jamal Ara, who was running the Women General Hospital in Abbottabad.
He received MRCPsych and in 1985 FRCPsych as honorary degrees from the Royal College of Psychiatry, United Kingdom, for his exemplary services. Consequently, he became the father of psychiatry, and many renowned psychiatrists today are his students. His name has become synonymous with psychiatry and psychiatric education.
With great dedication, he developed the mental health system, transforming it into a fully functional mental hospital, which marked the beginning of mental health institutions. Prior to this, mentally ill people were not recognized as patients and would often be chained up and locked in rooms.
After serving in the remote area of Dhodial for five years, he was appointed as Medical Superintendent at Peshawar Mental Hospital. After 8-9 months, he transferred to Lahore Mental Hospital, where he served as an administrator in 1971. Two years later, he was transferred back to Peshawar Mental Hospital and worked there for four years. He also served as a visiting psychiatrist at Lady Reading Hospital. Due to the absence of a proper outpatient department for psychiatry, he began his own OPD sitting under a tree in LRH, thereby establishing psychiatric services in the hospital.
During his tenure, he worked tirelessly to improve conditions for psychiatric patients, who were often treated more like inmates in jail rather than as patients. He introduced a medico-legal system for mental patients in prisons, bringing about a revolution in the perspective of mental illness in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (then NWFP). He initiated lectures on psychiatry, psychology, and neurology at Khyber Medical College. He pioneered post-graduate training in the field of psychiatry in KP, thus introducing the concept of specialization in his field. He was one of the first examiners for the post-graduate exam of psychiatry in Pakistan.
He actively participated in various philanthropic projects in Peshawar, including the Burn Care Centre, the first and only center for burn victims in KP. He ran support programs for students, especially medical students, under the name of “Shafique Education Program” for 25 years. His family was among the first supporters of the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Center in Peshawar.
He was also a literary person and avid reader of both Western and Eastern literature, with a particular interest in the works of Allama Iqbal and Faiz Ahmed Faiz. He had a personal library and generously donated a large number of books to private libraries. He always encouraged and supported budding writers to publish their works, including the eminent writer and poet Muhammad Taha Khan.
He authored two Urdu books, “Kuch Yadain Kuch Safar” (autobiography) and “Zehen Ki Dunya” (which addresses psychological issues for common understanding), apart from writing numerous papers and articles. He retired in 1996 and devoted more time to his private clinic, assisted by his wife, Dr Jamal Ara. His clinic became one of the most renowned mental health delivery systems, known for both its high quality and as a place of learning. He practiced psychiatry until the age of 80, and he and his wife continued to lead a humble life in Peshawar until his death on August 2, 2022. May Almighty Allah bless his soul!
The writer is a mental health expert, and Assistant Professor & Chairman at the Department of Psychiatry, Khyber Medical College/Khyber Teaching Hospital (MTI-KTH), Peshawar. Additionally, he serves as the Chapter Chief of Pakistan Psychiatric Society (PPS), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He can be contacted at: drimrankth@gmail.com.
Related Posts
Comments