Remembering Dr Zia Uddin of Kano Clinic
By C. Naseer Ahmad
Washington, DC
Dr Zia-uddin, born on October 15, 1925 in Kharian, was the eldest son of Chaudhry Saad-Uddin, a distinguished educator in Punjab. Suffering from asthma, he was a very sick child. His health obstructed his scholastic performance, but the obstacles did not prove insurmountable.
The first step toward achieving his objective was to enter a medical school which he managed to do with his admission into the King Edward Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan. There were a number of challenges he faced during his pursuit of becoming a doctor.
He failed for a couple of years and some advisors to the community leaders began to question whether to support him. But the community elders had faith in him saying “you don’t know what he is going to do for the community.”
After working as a physician in the Fazl-e-Umar Hospital in Pakistan where he worked tirelessly to help heal the sick, Dr Zia-uddin left for West Africa first setting up a clinic in Sierra Leone in 1961. Unfortunately, asthma became an acute issue for him in Sierra Leone due to the damp climate.
To pursue his mission, he set out north in search of a drier climate settling down in Kano, Nigeria. He established a small clinic on Emir Street in a dusty area called Sabongari. The single room in this new location was his bedroom as well as his clinic. During the day, he would fold up his bed and rearrange the furniture in order to attend to his patients. At night, he would sleep in the same room.
Kano’s dry climate helped Dr Zia-uddin to continue in his mission to serve humanity until his last breath. He died in 1981 in the clinic that he had established for the benefit of mostly low-income Muslims of the area.
Patient care was very important to Dr Zia-uddin. One night, he was worried that he might have given one of his patients the wrong medicine. So, he was up all night as he did not know how to get in touch with the patient. This was the time when cellphones had not been invented and the land lines were hardly working in Nigeria. Fortunately, the patient returned the next morning. Dr Zia-uddin asked him if he had taken the medication. He replied that he had not taken it yet as“we get well just with your prayers.” So, Dr Zia-uddin was able to follow through with the proper medication. This exemplified hisdevotion to his patients and feelings for the physician in their hearts.
Due to the quality of the medical services provided and the personal care for the patients in the Kano Clinic, it became very popular. In those days, the Emir of Kano, His Royal Highness Ado Bayero, the spiritual head of the Muslims of Kano became a patient of Dr Zia-uddin. The Emir was a direct descendant of the great Mujadid Osman Fadio, a Fulani who brought Islam to this part of Africa.
To serve the growing number of patients, Dr Zia-uddin decided to build a new facility at 52 Bompai Road in Kano taking out a loan of 500 pounds, which he was able to pay in a short time due to his frugal lifestyle and strict money management. The foundation stone of this building was laid by His Royal Highness. In those days, government ministers and their families would come for treatment. Alhaj Otiti, deputy governor of the Bank of Nigeria; Amino Kano, the Commissioner of Health and many prominent citizens became patients of Dr Zia-uddin, who was a very unassuming and a firm gentleman. Even a minister or a senior government official couldn’t get ahead of patients who were waiting to be seen in the Kano Clinic.
After his death, Dr Zia-uddin’s sons followed their father’s footsteps in medical practice for charitable causes.
Forty years after his death, the Kano Clinic continues to serve the needy as a hospital with a women’s wing and an eye clinic. Through the Humanity First Charity, the hospital provides free eye care for the needy.
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