A Life of Selfless Service in the Sultanate of Oman

Article by Dr. Akbar Rafay

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This is the remarkable story of Dr. Syed Mohammed Rafay, who came to Oman from his native land, India, and dedicated his life to providing medical services to Sultanate of Oman. The reader will be privy to discover how medicine was practiced in the 1950’s with a limited medical budget and inadequate medical supplies. Infant mortality was extremely high, and infections, such as waterborne diseases, typhoid, hepatitis and malaria were common and rampant. Fortunately, he maintained a set of diaries that serve as an inexhaustible supply of information ,which his son, Dr. Akbar Rafay, was able to use as a source to chronicle his father’s incredible journey. The journey began from establishing the first medical clinic in Somail in 1958 and culminated in being appointed as the personal physician to HM Sultan Qaboos bin Said, as well as being entrusted with the care of his mother, Her Majesty A’Sayeeda Al Jalila Mazoon. 

Omani Citizenship

In 1974, Dr Rafay was granted Omani citizenship, and in recognition of his commitment, dedication, loyalty and honesty, the Order of Oman was conferred on Dr, Rafay in 1992. The life of Dr. Rafay should serve as an inspiration to us all, especially medical professionals, on how resourcefulness and innovation can convert challenges into opportunities. He also drew great solace from helping those in need, and successful outcomes in particular, gave him immeasurable joy and happiness.

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Sultan of Oman conferred Commemorative Medal  (Order of Oman) to Dr. Syed Mohammed Rafay on 20th Anniversary 1992 in recognition of his commitment, dedication, loyalty and honesty. (page 258).

Dr Rafay's Biography

Dr Rafay was born in 1926 in the Indian State of Bihar, where he attended the Aligarh Muslim University and the Prince of Wales Medical College, graduating in 1954. Shortly after, he joined the Indian Army and following training in Poona, he was posted to the Naga Hills where he soon found himself in the line of fire due to insurgency.                 

Departure from India

There were a few compelling reasons that pricked the side of the intent of young Dr. Syed Mohammed Rafay and spurred him on to consider leaving his home in India and his four years services in the Indian Army. However, after some careful consideration he boarded the British India Steam Navigation vessel on the 21st of January 1958, leaving behind the Majestic Taj Mahal Hotel and the Gateway of India.

Dr. Syed Mohammed Rafay during active service (page 32)

Thunderous Welcome to Oman:

He only knew Muscat was an important strategic junction for Arabia and India commerce and pictured it to be a bustling metropolis set in modern civilization. What he found was not in harmony with such notions. Once settled, he realised the official procedure were taking longer then expected, so he requested permission from the Ministry for him to visit his brother-in-law in the city of Nizwa. He joined the convey of seven military vehicles and was thrilled to see the sparkling villages along the way, beginning to relax and take in the scenic views. Suddenly, there was a massive explosion underneath the vehicle directly in front of the vehicle he was riding. The vehicle had hit a land mine, a grim souvenir of the ongoing conflict,

“That was the thunderous welcome to OMAN”.

Eventually, after the soldiers carefully screened the vicinity, they assured themselves that the vehicles could proceed. Dr Rafay wondered what insanity had drawn him to Oman, especially when one of his main objectives was to escape the fighting in India. After some days, an envoy arrived from Ministry in Muscat and bid him to return. He refused to return by road. Finally, an aeroplane was arranged for his return to Muscat.

Bait Al Alam Palace in MUSCAT in 1950’s(Page 45)           
 

First Clinic in Somail

Somail Clinic 1958 photographed in 2016 (Page 68, 70 and 73)

In 1958, the First Clinic in Somail was set up by Dr. Syed Mohammed Rafay. Upon his return Dr. Rafay was requested to fill in for the doctor in charge, who was on leave, at that time. During this time, he explored Muscat and also used to visit the mission Hospital in Mutthra and worked alongside Dr. Thoms, diagnosing tropical diseases, which he leveraged from his experience in India.

I quote from my father’s diary; "Somail is a beautiful village with extensive date palms groves situated on both sides of valley. When we arrived it was almost dark, I was invited for supper at the Sheikh’s house, we sat on the ground and ate goat meat and rice together. I spent the night there, sleeping in the Sheikh’s majlis with all my belongings around me. The next day I took my things out on the truck and we drove on to the residence/clinic. I could hardly hide my disappointment when I first saw it. The house was very old and far too small. I did not know what to do. I have to admit, I felt lonely and quite depressed at the thought of living and working in Somail."

Dr. Syed Mohammed Rafay’s ordeal and challenges are beyond our imagination. Ably assisted by his wife, Saida bint Abdul Haleem, Dr. Rafay performed surgeries in his garden, where bedsheets were tied to date palms, converting the area into a makeshift operating theatre.

I quote from my father’s diary; "One afternoon, I remember an Englishman came to my clinic. He saw me doing my work in the open garden. He witnessed the extraction of decayed teeth and saw me draining an abscess. When I finished work, he introduced himself Mr. Hugh Boustead, who later he was knighted. Being impressed to see how challenges could be transformed into opportunities, he started sending doctors to me for training."

There are many anecdotes within this book both medical and non-medical like “Patient who lost his speech, Urine retention, gastric wash, Scorpio bites, killing of the residents etc."

I would like to mention one of the most fascinating and remarkable medical incidents, a rare case of Tetanus. I quote from my father’s diary; "A couple of hours after the birth of the baby, the placenta had still not been delivered. The relatives, including her husband, started to become extremely concerned and so I was called in to see the patient. It was a first such a case where a male doctor was summoned to attend to a female patient. After a little manipulation, the placenta was finally delivered. I cut the placenta from the umbilicus cord of the baby with sterile scissors. I gave the baby a bath and then I injected the mother with preparation of Ergot. Everything seemed to be fine but, on the fourth day, the husband came to me at around 8 pm and took me to his house to see his wife. The woman was having spasmodic contractions of her jaw muscle and was also unable to open her mouth properly. It was a case of early tetanus. Fortunately, I had some anti-tetanus serum with me. I injected her with a 50,000 unit, intravenously. I found some paper and wrote a hurried letter to Dr. Thoms. Then I asked the lady’s husband to take the letter to Dr. Thoms immediately. He was soon on his way with the letter. At 5 am the next morning Dr. Ellis and Sister Bosma arrived in Somail with an ambulance. Dr. Ellis confirmed the diagnosis and took the patient back to Muscat (Knox Memorial Hospital). Fortunately, the woman recovered from her dreadful illness and, I later discovered that when he grew up, her son found a job working in the Police Force.”

             His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said observing inside of a fort and to his right stands Dr. Syed Mohammed Rafay Personal Physician to His Majesty and Senior Castle Guard on the left (page 141).

I quote from my father’s diary; "One afternoon, two men arrived at the clinic with a letter from the Minister of Interior; Sayyid Ahmad Ibrahim Al Qais. The letter was from HM Sultan Said requesting me to go to Al Qabil in the Ash Sharqiyah region of Oman to attend to Sheikh Salah Bin Essa Al Harthy, who was gravely ill. I stayed in Al Ash Sharqiyah region for about three weeks. I knew that I would have to treat many patients in the region, I had brought a great deal of locally-made quinine and penicillin injections with me, in addition to some other drugs. During those three weeks, I was busy from morning until night. Since I was given transportation, the villagers took me from one village to another. So I visited Al Qabil, Dahareez, Ghalli, Ibra and lots of other very small villages in the area. It was an exhausting work, given the extreme heat and the conditions, but I found it very rewarding. During my stay there, I observed many similar types of illnesses as seen in Somail. Later on, few people with cataracts and other eye problems came to Somail from these other regions in order to receive medical treatment and to undergo surgery. However, there were not many, as, there were no place for them to stay in Somail. They told me that they found it embarrassing to stay with other people from different tribes. Once the Sheikh had fully recovered, I took his permission to leave and I went to see the Sheikh of Sharqiyah. I had a very good send of I must say. I met lots of people there and many of them became good friends. After a very successful five years in Somail, I made many friends and I must mention a few like, Sheikh Hilal, Sheikh Abdullah and Sheikh Saud, friendship grew from strength to strength and continued forever."

             His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said and Dr. Syed Mohammed Rafay behind him on the Royal Yacht (page 142)

Next Stop Musannah

I quote from my father’s diary; "During next ten months while in Musannah, I encountered many challenges medical and personal. I would like to mention at least two such incidences; One day in the early hours of the morning, a group of old fishermen came to the clinic carrying a young fisherman who was screaming. A swordfish had pierced right through this young man’s thigh. The patient was bleeding profusely, I controlled the blood loss and prevent the patient from going into hypovolemic shock, which could have been fatal. After stabilising the patient, I prepared a drip with painkiller. Local anaesthesia was injected around the wound to have the maximum effect. A major surgery, I was about to perform without any theatre or anaesthesia support, this was a huge challenge. I had to trust and believe in myself and the Almighty Allah. The man shivered shook and writhed in pain. Luckily, the patient was a young and healthy man, and I knew that this would help ensure the success of the operation and his recovery. It was miraculous that none of the patient’s major arteries or veins had been damaged. While holding my breath with the tension, I finally managed to remove the entire sword from his leg, I quickly packed the wound with antibiotic powder and stitched it up as the patient groaned. There was a great sense of satisfaction and relief within me that I had managed to save the patient’s leg. The relatives were overwhelmed and extremely grateful to me for what I had achieved. They started kissing my hand as if I were a saviour who had been sent by God to help them. Of course, it was my pleasure to help them. I found working in Musannah quite different from my previous posting in Somail. Working in the interior of Oman, was dramatically different from the type of medical casualties that I confronted in the coastal regions.I enjoyed this new challenge.”

I quote from my father’s diary; "Late one evening, it had been raining quite heavily, I was involved in a rather hair-raising experience. I was not aware at the time, of the phenomena of wadi flash floods that can occur suddenly, without warning. I remember I was on a visit to see a patient who was suffering from pyrexia of unknown origin, I felt that I had to attend to this female patient. I jumped into the car as soon as my last patient left the clinic. We had to pass through a deep wadi. After careful examination it was immediately apparent that she was suffering from a case of malaria. I treated her with a quinine injection, that I had prepared locally, and I also gave her some antipyretic and assured her that I would come and see her again the following day. Her family were very grateful and pleased that I had made the effort to come on a home visit, given the inclement weather. To show their gratitude they offered me coffee with cardamom and some delicious dried dates. It was still raining quite heavily, the family urged me to stay with them, suggesting that I return to the clinic the next morning. They were worried that I might get caught in the wadi if I attempted to leave during the downpour. The family reluctantly waved goodbye to us as we left the house and drove away. At that time, I used to have a green Land Rover and my driver, Mr Shuker, (meaning ‘sugar’ in English) was a pleasant man. Nevertheless, I felt that he always drove too fast, which made me rather nervous. To my great relief, the rain had stopped but now the sun had set and it was beginning to grow dark. Finally, we were on our way back. But our troubles were far from over. It was a very dark and cloudy night and, with poor visibility, Shuker was driving much too fast. Before we knew we had entered the wadi without realising that it was now completely flooded. Within seconds, the water started gushing into the car and I was horrified to discover that half of the car was already submerged in the water. I took some deep breaths and tried not to panic. There was a strong current, as the water flowed downstream, and I really thought the car would be carried away, with us inside it. Using all my strength, I pushed open the doors of the car with my feet and allowed the water to flow in and out and this slightly stabilised the vehicle. However, we were now soaking wet and the waters were still rising. Since we were not far from the village, we started shouting for heelp and luckily some local residents heard our cries and immediately came rushing over to help us. The driver and I managed to climb out of the car and, with some slipping and sliding, we both clambered up onto the roof of the vehicle. It was still raining hard and I was shivering with fear. At any moment, I knew that the rapidly rising waters could lift the wheels of the car right off the ground and carry us away. Above the roar of the fast-moving flood, I could hear the villagers shouting at us. One of them threw us a rope and told us to catch hold of the rope and tie it onto the car, my hands were really shaking, it was difficult and dangerous, reaching out for the rope and leaning over to tie it onto the doorframe of the vehicle. The light was fading and I could not see what I was doing. My wet and shaking hands pushed the rope through the doorframe and I eventually managed to tie a knot and secure it. Some strong men held the rope tight and told us to come out of the vehicle holding onto it. At first, we were afraid and extremely reluctant to leave the vehicle, but as we felt the water lifting the car up and beginning to carry it downstream, we soon realised that we really had no choice."

Palace ID Card of Dr. Syed Mohammed Rafay written and signed by His Majesty Qaboos bin Said Sultan of Oman (page 98)
 

"I went first mustering all my courage, I clung onto the rope with all my might and cautiously moved along it as the men pulled, attempting to move me and the car back towards the bank. Since it was only a short distance, I soon managed to reach the shore. I was so thankful to put my feet on firm ground, my entire body was shaking like a leaf. Then it was Shuker turn, by this time the men had pulled the car quite close to the shore, so Shuker just took a great leap and jumped off, holding onto the rope until he waded onto dry land. I must admit, we both were breathless and shaken up by the experience, but above all we felt incredibly thankful to Allah to be saved from the jaws of death to live another day. This was the third narrow escape from the jaws of death since my arrival to Oman. Myself and Shuker spent the night high up in the hill, cold but very much alive. I got down on my knees and prayed to the Almighty Allah who had saved us from being washed away."

Next stop Muscat:

Muscat Babul Kabir is decorated to receive HM Sultan Qaboos bin Said on his first visit to Muscat.

After serving for ten exciting and challenging months in Musannah, the year of 1963 heralded a major turning point in my father’s medical career in Oman. The British Consul General in Muscat, Mr Duncan, appointed my father to the role of Medical Officer in charge of the Muscat Charitable Hospital.

Muscat Charitable Hospital a 20 bedded hospital. The Foundation stone of the Hospital was laid by HM Saiyid Faisal bin Turki Sultan of Oman (page 98)

 

The Royal decree issued by HM Sultan Qaboos bin Said on the 12 December 1970. The appointment of Dr. Syed Mohammed Rafay as a person physician to His Majesty.(page 130)

 

I quote from my father’s diary; "During my service at the British Consulate, I learnt a great deal and had many wonderful experiences, working for the British Crown Services. The work was inspiring and challenging. Despite this demanding role I was also appointed Chief Medical Officer for Mackinnon Mackenzie and became the ‘Medic in charge’ at Cable and Wireless. In this new role, as a Quarantine Medical Officer, I visited all incoming vessels arriving at the Port of Muscat and give clearance to the ships, accompanied the Immigration Officer from the Police Force, along with Grey Mackenzie staff to the calling vessels. I quote from my father’s diary; A Greek oil tanker was sailing past Muscat, and on board there was a patient with a high fever of unknown origin. His condition could not be managed on board the ship therefore he needed to be urgently hospitalized. The patient had to be off-loaded immediately so that the tanker would not have to delay the journey to its destination. Wireless messages were sent from the tanker to Mackinnon Mackenzie for the doctor to be sent to negotiate the off-loading of the patient process. These missions were highly dangerous as the boats of Mackinnon Mackenzie were not that sea worthy. I made my way to the jetty with a couple of the staff from Mackinnon Mackenzie who had come to my house to accompany me.

At the jetty Mackinnon Mackenzie boat with its crew were ready to sail immediately after my arrival. The time had well past midnight by then and it was pitch dark. We started to sail on the choppy water and after about 30-40 minutes we could see the huge oil tanker that was moving at snail pace on purpose. The captain of the boat started to move the boat close, so that it could come parallel to the oil tanker. This needed all the experience, great skill, discipline and precision. The whole procedure was well orchestrated with the help of the crew and captain of the oil tanker. Flood lights were switched on from the oil tanker to help the coordination.

Once the tanker and the boat came parallel, rope ladder was lowered down so that the crew from the boat and I could embark on to the ship. Once we had clambered up on board the ship, I attended to the patient, stabilizing his condition and placing him on a stretcher and securing him to the stretcher with straps and disembarked. We slowly lowered the stretcher down the side of the moving vessel and disembarked, transferring him to the small boat and finally admitted him in the Hospital. This was one of the most dangerous operation that I encountered during my service as a Quarantine Medical Officer. Having to rescue a sick and ailing patient from a moving oil tanker in the middle of the night from a high sea. I had never had an experience of such manoeuvres before and that to in the middle of the night. I must also admit that none of us on the rescue mission knew how to swim."

After leaving Musannah, Dr. Syed Mohammed Rafay worked as Quarantine Medical Officer with Gray and Mackinnon Mechanize.

An Inspiration to us all

There are those who are citizen by virtue of birth and others, like Dr. Rafay, who wear the title as an honour bestowed upon them for responding above and beyond the call of duty, contributed unselfishly to the betterment and development of OMAN. He also drew great solace from helping those in need & successful outcomes in particular gave him immeasurable joy & happiness. The life of Dr. Rafay should serve as an inspiration to us all, including medical professionals, on how resourcefulness and innovation can convert challenges into opportunities.

On 4th January 1986 after 27 years of uninterrupted medical service Dr. Syed Mohammed Rafay was conferred the Order of OMAN by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said at Al Alam Palace (page 210).

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, on his right is Sayyid Hamed bin Hamood Al Busaidi, Dr. Syed Mohammed Rafay on his left, and Major General G W Harcourt, Commander of Royal Guard Brigade of Oman, on the far right (page 140 and back cover).

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