Medical fraternity mourns loss of Prof Bartholomew
Professor Courtenay Bartholomew, who diagnosed the first case of Aids in the English-speaking Caribbean, died on Friday night.In a Facebook post, former education minister, Tim Gopeesingh, said illness slowed down Bartholomew “in the last few years” but he remained one of this country's greatest intellectual, academic, scientist, public servant, doctor and patriot.“He was the perfect example of what a doctor should be – highly skilled, brilliant, very knowledgeable, thorough, and in-depth with every medical case. But what stood out, even more, was his tremendous humanity. In his hospital ward rounds, his bedside comportment was especially exemplary, for he never failed to go beyond the call to analyse the vaguest medical issues of patients, treating everyone under his care with unmatched compassion and respect.”
Dr Ayanna Sebro, technical director of the National Aids Coordinating Committee said she was still processing the loss.“I know that these things happen and death is part of life but I didn’t expect to lose him just yet.”She told Sunday Newsday she had been interacting with him since 2004 and worked with him directly for five years at Medical Research Foundation of TT, which he founded.Asked to describe the type of man Bartholomew was, she replied, “He was epic.”She said he was a mentor who shaped many of the people who are known to be “really good doctors” and influenced their medical careers. She said he was hard on her and others but he was also loving, and did his best to bring out their full potential.
“He is from the generation of people like Dr Violet Duke, Dr Waveney Charles, who we also lost. That’s a generation of clinicians who have really shaped medicine in Trinidad and Tobago and to have lost them leaves a little bit of a void. As younger physicians it’s important that we step up to try and fill some really big shoes.”
Dr Ayanna Sebro, technical director of the National Aids Coordinating Committee said she was still processing the loss.“I know that these things happen and death is part of life but I didn’t expect to lose him just yet.”She told Sunday Newsday she had been interacting with him since 2004 and worked with him directly for five years at Medical Research Foundation of TT, which he founded.Asked to describe the type of man Bartholomew was, she replied, “He was epic.”She said he was a mentor who shaped many of the people who are known to be “really good doctors” and influenced their medical careers. She said he was hard on her and others but he was also loving, and did his best to bring out their full potential.
“He is from the generation of people like Dr Violet Duke, Dr Waveney Charles, who we also lost. That’s a generation of clinicians who have really shaped medicine in Trinidad and Tobago and to have lost them leaves a little bit of a void. As younger physicians it’s important that we step up to try and fill some really big shoes.”
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