Shujja-Ud-Din

Shujja-Ud-Din was born in 1933 in Lahore, Pakistan. He came from a family of professionals and civil servants. His father was a qualified accountant in the Indian Audit Service. In 1947, on the partition of India, his family moved to Karachi, Pakistan, where he obtained his secondary and medical education.

Shujja obtained his undergraduate medical training at Dow Medical College, Karachi. He graduated in 1956 and completed his junior house physician posts in general medicine and neurology at Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre, Karachi.

In 1959 Shujja emigrated to the United Kingdom to further enhance his knowledge of medicine. He worked as a house officer in medicine and surgery at Kent, North Devon, and Alton General Hospitals. For his senior house officer and registrar assignments he worked in North Devon and Hartlepool. He was later appointed a medical assistant in Newark. In 1972 he was appointed senior registrar in geriatric medicine in the west Cornwall clinical area.

Shujja-Ud-Din joined the York Hospitals in 1974 as consultant in geriatric medicine. He gave 24 years of dedicated service and retired in 1998. He was instrumental in setting up the stroke unit at St Mary's Hospital, which provided investigations, treatment, and rehabilitation to patients with stroke. This eventually proved to be a very effective strategy.

Shujja served the elderly community of York with extreme compassion and devotion. The 1970s and '80s were challenging years for elderly medicine. There was a shift from mainly long term to more acute and rehabilitative care. The Care of the Elderly Department had over 400 beds in six hospitals in York and the surrounding area. The main hospital in York was a former workhouse, named St Mary's Hospital.

Shujja, affectionately known as Dr Din, along with his colleagues, helped to commission two 30-bedded wards at the newly built York District Hospital for acutely ill elderly patients. Gradually, over 15 years, all the old long stay cottage hospitals were closed and replaced by community units for the elderly, scattered in and around the York area. Each unit had 20 rehabilitation beds and a 20 place day hospital. Dr Din put much time and energy in bringing about this modernisation. The number of acute and rehabilitation beds in York District Hospital tripled from 60 to 180, and a 20-bedded stroke unit. This achievement was possible only with the hard work of Dr Din and his colleagues.

Dr Din was a good hearted, humble, and intellectual man. He was a generous mentor, very much liked and appreciated by his junior staff and patients alike. He was very particular about doing daily ward rounds, irrespective of his other duties.

Dr Din played an active part in serving the local community in York: he was always there to help and advise.

He leaves a devoted wife, Farzana; two sons; and a grandson.