New Delhi, Jan 18: The death of a well known multi-faceted personality of the State, Dr A N Safaya, former Medical Superintendent of AIIMS and former Director, Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences has been widely mourned by medical  fraternity, Sathya Sai family and  Kashmiri Biradari. He  passed away on January 10, 2013 at New Delhi at the age of 82,  leaving behind a  legacy of  dedication and devotion. Some are professionals, some are stalwarts, some are genius but very few people are truly 'leaders'.
 His admirers said that he was one such person - a leader by nature, spirit and wisdom.
 Starting his career, Dr Safaya joined the J&K Health Services as a Chief Medical Officer and served the people attending their basic health and medical needs. He later joined the SMS Hospital as a professor and started teaching Anatomy. Immensely popular amongst the students many of them   fondly remember his way of teaching. He was offered a teaching position in faculty of Anatomy of AIIMS, New Delhi. He later served for many years as Medical Superintendent of AIIMS and is known for his gear changing stint to bring hospital administration in the forefronts of planning, perfection and prudence throughout the country. He is the only Medical Superintendent to have served the AIIMS for more than 15 years. In AIIMS also his association with Kashmir did not end. His help to countless patients from J&K who got in touch with him for treatment at AIIMS is remembered by the people.
 His helpful attitude and popularity in JK brought him closer to  late Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah who developed a personal liking for him.
 Later he took a spiritual call, he resigned from AIIMS, to join as the founder Director of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Puttaparthy. There too he worked day and night and developed  Super Specialty hospital functional at Whitefield, Bangalore and took charge of even the General Hospital. Running multiple hospitals - each without a billing section- prioritizing resources and uplifting patient care, he served from 1991 till 2011.
 Dr Safaya is survived by his son, daughter, wife and grandchildren, but most importantly he is also survived by hundreds of students and colleagues.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 18 Jan 2013 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 18 Jan 2013 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 19 Jan 2013 00:00:00 IST