| Lall Ramnath Sawh | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 1, 1951 Couva, Trinidad and Tobago |
| Education | West Indies School of Medicine, Jamaica Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh, Mayo Clinic, Minnesota, USA |
| Years active | 1970s-present |
| Known for | Introducing kidney transplantation and endoscopic surgery to the Caribbean |
| Relatives | Wife: Sylvia S. Sawh (nee Ragobar) - Retired Teacher Son: Dr. Sean Sawh - Urologic Surgeon (Harvard Medical School / UNC) Son: Dr. Shane Sawh - Dental Surgeon (UWI-Trinidad) / University of London |
| Profession | Surgeon |
| Institutions | Port-of-Spain General Hospital Southern Medical Clinic, San Fernando Westshore Medical Clinic, West Moorings |
| Specialism | Urology |
| Research | Kidney transplantation Urological disease |
| Notable prizes | Who's Who in the World of Science and Technology 100 Greatest Living Surgeons Chaconia Medal - Gold |
Lall Ramnath Sawh CM, FRCS (Edin) (born 1 June 1951) is a Trinidadian urologist in the Caribbean and Latin America. Based in Trinidad and Tobago, Sawh pionerred kidney transplantation in the Caribbean in 1988 and has continued to be a leader in the field of urology.[1] In 1994, Sawh implemented the use of the first Dornier Lithotripsy machine in Trinidad, thereby revolutionizing the treatment of kidney stones in Trinidad.[2]
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Dr. Sawh was born in a small rural village in Central Trinidad where most of his time was spent selling produce in a local market. Despite having to utilize brown paper bags as notebooks, Sawh was able to excel in school and attended Naparima College in San Fernando, one of Trinidad's premiere secondary schools. By age sixteen, he held the prestigious position of "Head Boy" at the school [3] and attained the necessary grades in his Advanced Level examinations to make him eligible to enter Medical School at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica.[1]
Having graduated at the top of his graduating class in medical school, Sawh was awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship and moved to the United Kingdom to specialize in Urology.[1] He then moved to the United States to complete his training as an Endoscopic Urology Fellow at the prestigious Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Shortly after starting to practice in Trinidad, he returned to the United States to complete further post-graduate training at the Urology Department at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
By 1962, Trinidad and Tobago had gained independence from the British, and by 1976, the country had become a republic with the Commonwealth nations. Urology in Trinidad was in its infancy, and the departure of the only two practicing Urologist left a void in the field. Together with the late General Surgeon Dr. Andrew Yip-Hoi, Sawh was left as the sole Urologist, giving him the opportunity to continue the work left by his predecessors as well as the opportunity to pioneer several Urological procedures at the San Fernando General Hospital. Of particular note was the introduction of kidney transplant services to the Caribbean, with Sawh leading the local team in this historic surgery on January 27, 1988 [1]
In 1989, Sawh was awarded the post of Consultant Urologist at Port-of-Spain General Hospital. He continued to build the Urology services at that hospital and became a senior lecturer at the University of the West Indies - Mt. Hope Medical Sciences Complex in the fields of Surgery and Urology. A true general urologist, Sawh's practice encompasses all facets of urology, including prostate cancer, stone disease, erectile dysfunction, surgical correction of penile anomalies and renal cancer.
In 1994, Sawh's company, Uroco Limited, introduced the Dornier Lithotripsy machine to the country to provide minimally invasive treatment for stone disease in Trinidad.[4]
On July 13, 2007, it was announced that the Government of Trinidad and Tobago would provide free brachytherapy treatment to all Prostate Cancer patients who were amenable to this form or treatment. This decision was a direct result of Sawh's call for the government to provide this service [5]
Sawh is currently featured in several editions of Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in the World of Intellects, Who's Who in the World of Science and Technology and was named one of the top 100 Surgeons in the World today. He is a Lecturer at the University of the West Indies, and is a chief examiner for the Caribbean Medical Examinations.
Dr. Sawh's services to Trinidad and Tobago have earned him the award of Chaconia Medal of the National Order of the Trinity, Class 1 Gold (the Chaconia Medal, Gold), the second highest award given by that country for excellence in the fields of Medicine and Surgery. At the time of the award, Sawh was only forty-three years old, making him the youngest person in the History of Trinidad and Tobago to be awarded the Chaconia Medal Gold for his contribution to Surgery in Trinidad.[1]
In 2009, Dr. Sawh was named a "National Icon" by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago and was furthered honored by the Society of Surgeons in Trinidad and Tobago when he was featured in their publication "Trinidad and Tobago Icons in Science and Technology -Volume II".[6]