“There is no better feeling than discharging a patient knowing you saved their life,” Dr. Javid Aziz

As the world continues to battle with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), a number of healthcare workers are valiantly continuing to be the nations’ heroes.

Dr. Javid Imran Aziz

Guided by the Hippocratic Oath, many Doctors are among the champions on the healthcare system’s frontlines, throwing fear to the wind in their quest to save lives and curb the spread of the deadly virus.

Among those frontline workers putting their lives at risk is young Dr. Javid Imran Aziz. Growing up as a child, the young Doctor disclosed that he always had a vast fascination for the human body and how it works, which has now led him into the profession.

Aziz was born at home by a midwife on his grandmother’s bed on the 23rd December 1992 to parents Deowattie and Abdul Aziz. He grew up with his younger sister in Rampoor, Corriverton, Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice – Corentyne), and subsequently moved to Crabwood Creek when he was just 11- years old.

While life was not always perfect for Aziz, he believes that he was privileged because his mom did her best to provide everything for him. He attended the Springlands Nursery School and then Corriverton Primary School, where he graduated as the valedictorian in 2004. He then attended Skeldon Line Path Secondary School, where he also graduated as the valedictorian.

Growing up was an amazing experience; I still look back on those days and reminisce of how things were so different and simple. I’m glad I grew up in that era where technology was not so prominent, and I had so much outdoor exposure playing cricket, climbing trees, picking coconut, picking eggs from our backyard, and even bathing in the rain and washing our feet with muddy water from the poodles.

Going back to his formative years, the young man confessed that he always wanted to become a Doctor. In fact, Dr. Aziz revealed that he disintegrated all of his toys and teddy bears just to see what was inside and how they functioned at one time while growing up.

There was this one time I fitted my grandmother’s blood pressure cuff around a cat in an attempt to take its bp. As time shuffled by, my fascination only grew, and putting a smile on peoples’ faces became a hobby. I loved helping people. But I also knew that being in the medical profession was very prestigious, and I wanted to be respected!

After completing High School, he told family and friends what his aspiration was. However, he was greeted with “you would never become a doctor,” which was one of his biggest motivations to rise and prove to those individuals wrong.

After hearing those negativity, he ensured that he did not dwell on them and immediately applied for a scholarship to study Medicine in Cuba at the Escuela Latinoamericana de Medicina (ELAM) in Havana, and subsequently, the University of Juan Gutierrez Xener in Matanzas, Cuba.

Medicine was tough and required a lot of dedication and sleepless nights. I was depressed for a long time; and wanted to return home so badly, but returning home was never an option. I had to study Medicine because I didn’t have a second career choice, and finance was a problem.

After some challenges, the young man began liking the country, as he started to know more people. He admitted that he was able to absorb many cultures and lifestyles and make good friends.

After completing studies in 2017, Dr. Aziz was an intern under the Cuban Brigade at Suddie Hospital, New Amsterdam, and Port Mourant Hospital. From there, he started out as a Government Medical Officer (GMO) at the Skeldon Hospital before being stationed at the New Amsterdam Regional Hospital.

I have been a doctor for three years now, it’s still growing on me, and I love every part of it. Even when I’m on leave, I think about work; I feel like something Is missing. Work is a part of me, and I am a part of my work.

When the virus first hit Guyana in March of this year, the Doctor was working as a Permanent GMO in the Department of Internal Medicine and had just started working along with the Tuberculosis (TB) and the HIV clinic at New Amsterdam Regional Hospital. Little did he know that the usual daily routine was about to change.

Dr. Javid Imran Aziz in his protective wear

Following the announcement of COVID-19 in Guyana, each region established a COVID-19 Taskforce in which Dr. Aziz is a part of, for Region Six. After joining the Taskforce, the 27-year-old Doctor stated that he was nervous at first being a COVID-19 first responder, but told himself that he studied and signed up for this.

We swore an oath to protect, serve, and heal, and we should do that with pride and dignity. I have also had the pleasure of volunteering in Region 1 to assist with the COVID-19 outbreak. I’m not afraid of COVID-19, and I’m not afraid to deal with positive patients. I am young, and I have a strong immune system, but I’m afraid for my parents, grandparents, and persons out there who are susceptible, which is exactly why we need to protect ourselves and loved ones.

He also had the opportunity to participate in quite a number of outreach programmes across the length and breadth of Guyana, especially in Mabaruma.When asked what he is passionate about, the young man revealed that he is usually cooking and trying new foods that are very therapeutic for him when he is not on the frontline.

In addition to cooking, he loves reading novels, especially fantasy. He relayed that as a kid, his favorite authors were Enid Blyton and JK Rowling.

I see cooking as an art, and it helps ease my mind and take me away from a stressful environment. When I cook, it’s just me, the ingredients and the utensils, and my favourite thing is to share the end product with people. I am also passionate about philanthropy. I am drawn to helping the poor and the unfortunate as I feel that they need free and fair opportunities, especially to an education.

He credits the person he has become, a passionate medical professional, to the guidance he received over the years, from his mother, who was there for him from day one.

“Even though we didn’t have much, my mother provided us with whatever we needed and sometimes had to put our needs in front of hers.”

Dr. Aziz lives by two simple philosophies; the first one is, “Don’t ever forget where you came from,” and “If you aren’t hurting anyone with your actions, move on with your life, do things that make you happy.” Here is why he lives by these quotes;

I came from hardships, and I didn’t grow up with everything, and I absolutely know how it feels like to have someone look down on you because you don’t have something they have. But being in that place made me the person I am today.

His advice to anyone wanting to become a Doctor is simple.

Medicine is a very prestigious career, and we are on high demand for good doctors. It requires a lot of dedication and hard work, but it is not impossible. All that sacrifice and sleepless nights will pay off in the end, and there is no better feeling than discharging a patient from the hospital, knowing that you saved their life.

To this end, the young Doctor would like to remind everyone that we are traversing through crucial times and is asking for the public to stay at home and help our healthcare workers. Also, he is asking everyone to take all the necessary precautions to help fatten the curve.

I would also like to extend heartfelt gratitude to all our frontline workers out there who aren’t only doctors and nurses, but our lab staff, cleaners, and janitors. We must not forget these people who are risking their lives daily and aren’t receiving enough credit for it. Thank you, health heroes, for your dedicated services. Stay safe!

But not even a threat such as COVID-19 will succeed in taking the joy out of life for Dr. Aziz. Moreover, he intends to one day be able to specialize in the field of Internal Medicine or Urology. He also aspires to open his clinic with a team of very competent Doctors to provide and dedicate their services to the community and give back because a “healthy community is a happy community.”