KARACHI - The Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) paid rich tribute to late Mir Rehman Ali Hashmi, former Secretary General of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), at a memorial meeting held here on Tuesday.
The memorial meeting was organised to pay homage to Dr Hashmi and recount his contribution for the improvement of healthcare system and medical education in the country.
On the occasion, Columbia University Dr Azra Raza delivered a lecture on “Decoding Cancer: Armed with Genomics is the end in sight.” She highlighted the role of the Human Genome Project in developing new frontiers in cancer therapy and how the new treatment which target cancerous genes could render life threatening blood cancer to manageable chronic disease. She also described the effectiveness of new drugs which could cure patients of myelodysplastic syndrome.
The memorial meeting was attended by leading personalities of medical profession, journalists, intellectuals and political figures. The Leading lawyer and Workers Party President Abid Hassan Manto recalled his old association with Dr Hashmi as a student and later as a professional and said, “Dr Hashmi was one of those rare personalities who were deeply committed to bring social justice,” adding that he was an inspiring force for all those who worked with him.
 HRCP Chairman IA Rehman lauded the lifelong contribution of Dr Hashmi and said that he was a personality full of vision and an agent for a change. Remembering the legend, prominent journalist and a human rights activist Husain Naqvi highlighted his contribution not only in the field of progressive students’ movement but in various segments of health care.
SM Naseem, another contemporary, recalled the active role of Dr Hashmi in the Democratic Students Federation (DSF) in 1953 for the rights of the students.
The Baloch progressive leader Dr Hayee Baloch lauded his deep commitment for the people of Baluchistan and pledged to continue to follow the philosophy of Dr Hashmi as a role model. Other speakers on the occasion included Dr Yaseen Ali, Dr Ali Jaffer Naqvi, Dr Ali Mohammad Ansari, Dr Badar Siddiqui, Dr Samad Shera, Dr Safia Moin and Saeedullah Khan. The family of Dr Hashmi unveiled the plaque of the SIUT clinical laboratory which has been dedicated to his contributions.