Tears as Renowned professor of medicine, Abdulhamid Isa Dutse is buried in Kano
Tears flow freely today in kano as the body of a distinguished Abusite and renowned professor of medicine, Abdulhamid Isa Dutse was buried this morning. His funeral prayer was held at 10AM today at the Al-Furqan Mosque, Alu Avenue in Kano.
The former Chief Medical Director of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) and respected professor of medicine died yesterday at the aged of 60.
A Family source said he died at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital on Monday evening following a brief illness.
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“He walked into the hospital earlier in the morning and died after cardiac arrest. There was a plan to fly him to Lagos for possible cardiac catheterization as we don’t have the machines in Kano,” said a source at the hospital.
Late Prof. Dutse was born in December 1960 at Unguwar Gini in Kano city. He attended Kwalli Primary School in 1966 and later joined Magwan Primary School. In 1972, he was admitted at the Government College, Kano now Rumfa College.
From there, Prof. Dutse joined the Faculty of Medicine of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, in 1977. He graduated from the medical school in 1982 as the best Paediatrics student in his class and became a consultant at the age of 30.
He worked with the Department of Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State from 1984 to 1987 where he rose to the position of Senior Registrar.
He also worked at the Lagos University Hospital (Hematology Unit) from 1987 to 1988 and at the St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, and the Hammer Smith Hospital both in the UK in 1989.
Late Professor Isa also served as a Consultant Physician at the Kano State’s two major hospitals Nassarawa and Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospitals between 1989 – 1991.
The deceased served the Jigawa State Government between February 1992 and February 1994 as Commissioner for Health and later as Secretary to the Government of the state under the administration of former governor Ali Sa`ad.
He went back to Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital as Acting Head of Department of Hematology and Blood Transfusion.
He then joined the services of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital as chief consultant in May 1994, and became the first Chairperson of the Medical Advisory Committee up to November 1997.
In December 1998 he was appointed Dean Faculty of Medicine, Bayero University, Kano.
In 2000, he was instrumental to getting accreditation for the medical school of Bayero University, Kano after 16 years of futile applications.
Mr Dutse served as Chief Medical Director of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital between July 2003 and July 2011.
During his tenure as CMD, he revolutionised the medical training by getting experts from various fields of medicine within and outside the country to come to Kano and provide their expertise in training medical graduates of BUK and postgraduate training of medical doctors.
He was also instrumental to the first successful kidney transplant at a public hospital in Nigeria.
He became a Fellow of the West African College of Physicians in 2008
He was voted as the best Indigent Patients friendly CMD by the Association of Medical Social Workers of Nigeria at its Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Also, the hospital was voted as the best environmentally friendly hospital in Kano by the Environmental Health Officers Association of Nigeria.
During his tenure, Mr Isa was the Chairperson Committee of Chief Executives of Federal Tertiary Hospitals of Nigeria.
He was also the chairperson Gunduma Health System, under the Jigawa State government during the administration of former governor Sule Lamido.
Tribute to Late Prof. Abdulhamid Isa Dutse by Mustapha Hikima
Late Prof. Abdulhamid Isa Dutse
When we gained admission into the medical school, Prof Abdulhamid Isa Dutse was the Dean, Faculty of Medicine. To us, the then 200 level medical students, there was no doctor bigger than the dean.
I remember vividly when he visited us during our 300 level Community based medical education posting at Bechi and Shekar Mai Daki. I remember the funny story he narrated about the sartorius muscle.
It was our first major chance to meet him one on one. We were completely mesmerized by his oratory powers and knowledge. Under his watch as the Dean, Bayero University Kano, Medical school grew to become one of the best medical schools in the country!
Very early after moving on to the second part of our medical training, the clinical part, Prof Abdulhamid Dutse was the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital. Again, there was no bigger Doctor known to us than the CMD.
Having known his precedents, it wasn’t a surprise to us to see AKTH become one of the best teaching hospitals in the country under his watch. Before assuming that position, he had played a key role in getting AKTH to become a teaching hospital in the first place.
Prof Isa Dutse was unique to us as a teacher, in that he was the only one who taught us in two entirely different disciplines. First, as a clinical haematologist, he was virtually the only one available then to teach haematology as a component of pathology.
Again, as a respiratory physician, he would teach in the Medicine department accordingly. He taught us tirelessly, despite his enormous administrative burdens. I still remember complex entities like the Plummer-Vinson syndrome and South-East Asian Ovalocytosis as taught by him.
Prof Dutse would ordinarily demand so much from his students, making them see how hard they need to work to excel and become good doctors. His classes were some of the toughest we’ve witnessed as medical students.
The one time SSG of Jigawa State would be remembered as a fantastic physician, an administrator par excellence, a rare orator and above all, extremely God-fearing gentleman.
Prof. Abdulhamid Dutse maintained a close relationship with many doctors, young and old alike. On 22nd September, barely 2 weeks ago, he called me and asked for the contact of a certain colleague. I sent him the contact and he replied me “many thanks”. How was I to know that he’d be gone by now?
May Allah have mercy on his soul. May Jannatul Firdaus be his final abode. Amin.
Dr Mustapha Hikima is the Chief Medical Director, Abdullahi Wase Specialist Hospital, Kano.
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