Dubai: A well-known Indian doctor in Dubai, Dr Babu Shersad, died of a heart attack on Monday night, family sources told Gulf News.
Dr Shersad, 54, died at Rashid Hospital, where he was rushed following a massive heart attack around 11.30pm, a relative said.
A veteran nephrologist, Dr Shersad last worked as the medical director of Amsa Renal Care in Dubai Healthcare City. Prior to that, he had held senior posts with First Medical Centre, Welcare Hospital, etc.
Dr Shersad earned his MBBS degree from Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, India.
After completing his residency in internal medicine at Wayne State University in Michigan, he did his fellowship in nephrology at the University of Chicago.
American Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Nephrology, Dr Shersad had a long experience working in the field of nephrology in the US and UAE.
His wife, Dr Fauzia Shersad, is the daughter of former Indian minister of state for external affairs E Ahamed, who passed away in February. She is the institutional effectiveness director at Dubai Medical College.
The couple’s three children live abroad. While their daughter, who is also a doctor, and one son live in the UK, another son studies in the US.
“It is a big loss for the medical fraternity here and for the Indian community, especially for those from Kerala,” said P. K. Anwar Naha, the president of Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre in Dubai.
“[Dr Shersad] actively supported us when we published a book on E. Ahamed,” said Punnakkan Mohammad Ali, president of Chiranthana Cultural Forum.
Campaigned against unlicensed remedies
Dr Babu Shersad was a pillar of support for his wife in her battle to seek justice in the death of her father, former Indian minister of state for external affairs E Ahamed, that led to a controversy in India.
The family of medical practitioners had said that Ahamed was clinically dead after collapsing at a Parliament session while the doctors at the hospital where he was rushed to were claiming to take him for medical procedures. The family had alleged that it was an attempt to delay the announcement of the minister’s death to avoid disrupting the parliament session.
Dr Shersad was often quoted by the local media including Gulf News on various health stories. He gave numerous talks, lectures and seminars in the UAE and abroad.
He had run a campaign to raise awareness of the harmful effects of unregulated herbal remedies and sought a law to restrict the sale of unlicensed herbal products in the country in 2008. His unique collection of Time magazines with autographs of world leaders and celebrities from different fields was featured in Gulf News in 2001.
A relative said it was a big shock that Dr Shersad suffered a heart attack as he was very health-conscious. “He didn’t eat carbohydrates, was a yoga expert and led a very active lifestyle, always exercising, walking, jogging, cycling, etc.,” he said.
Hundreds of people visited Dr Shersad’s house in Nasa Villas in Garhoud after news of his death spread. The relatives said
Dr Shersad will be laid to rest in Al Quoz cemetery this morning after his children arrive from abroad.
