Iqbal Ghanty, a laureate of the Classics side of the 1960s, was strongly advised by his family to study medicine in England. How could it be otherwise? Families wanted to carve a name in society and one sure way was to have a professional carrying the name, namely a lawyer, but more preferably, a doctor.
Iqbal obliged. No son worthy of the name would dare go against the wish of the father. And he blazed the trail and returned to his native land with an MBBS. He opened his clinic, adjacent to that of Dr. Atchia, his father-in-law, on Desforges Street. At first, the going was slow, which allowed him to read his most preferred paper, the Manchester Guardian.
Iqbal was an avid reader and a practicing Muslim: during Ramadan, he would read the whole Quran several times and kept a prayer rug in the cupboard of his office. He had a keen interest in local affairs and would discuss local politics with his patients with similar interests.
Gradually and slowly, this “timid” man became a fixture in Desforges Street. His waiting room overflowed and patients had to queue up in the shade of the Dauphine mango tree. As a professional with British bedside manners, he would take a long time to diagnose his visitors so much so that his patients started complaining about the duration of diagnostic. However the treatment prescribed gave satisfactory results and became the talk of the town. Iqbal had won the hearts of his patients and become a most popular name in the field of private medicine.
Iqbal used to take two hours off for lunch which allowed him to exercise, lunch and pray Zuhr. During one of his exercises, he told me, he used to jump from a certain height without realising he was no longer 18. He damaged his back and could no longer walk upright. He decided to reduce his professional commitments to finally retire. I felt strongly about this decision and told him so, believing that he was duty bound to serve humanity with the gift that the Almighty had bestowed on him. And I was pleased he followed my advice as more and more lives were saved.
Iqbal’s health deteriorated slowly as he was getting less “young” and finally passed away peacefully and was laid to rest in Riche Terre cemetery after Asr on Thursday 26 March 2026. So long my dear friend and doctor. I am convinced that you have been blessed also by the multitude of those on whose faces you have put a smile during their sufferings. May Allah swt give you Jannat-ul-Firdaus.
Dawood Auleear
