LONDON: A Pakistan-born cardiothoracic surgeon working in the United Kingdom has been named in the New Year Honours List and awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in recognition of his professional excellence and humanitarian services.
Professor Syed Saeed Ashraf, a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at Morriston Hospital in Swansea, Wales, received the honour for his services to cardiac surgery, training of overseas surgeons, and academic contributions. The award was announced by the Swansea Bay University Health Board on New Year’s Eve.
The health board described Professor Ashraf as an outstanding clinician who extends life-saving cardiac expertise to developing countries. He regularly spends his annual leave in Pakistan, where he performs voluntary and complex heart surgeries at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) in Karachi.
Professor Ashraf primarily treats young patients suffering from rheumatic valvular heart disease, a condition now rare in Western countries but still prevalent in South Asia. He has also provided free cardiac care to Afghan refugees receiving treatment in Pakistan.
During one six-week mission, he worked seven days a week and devoted Sundays to training Pakistani and Afghan surgeons in wet laboratories. Many of these trainees have since returned to peripheral hospitals, expanding access to specialised cardiac care. Expressing his gratitude, Professor Ashraf said he was “deeply honoured and humbled” by the recognition, describing his work as a way of giving back to the country where he began his medical career.
