The HPCA mourns the passing of DR. Sarah Fakroodeen, one of our board members and a luminary of palliative care in South Africa. We have created this tributes page to honour her and invite you to share your memories here.
Born into a family of doctors, Sarah reflected that her only choice in career was to practice Medicine. Graduate of The Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland. She obtained a Diploma in Obstetrics and a Certificate in Family Planning and worked in South Africa from 1979 as a GP, Obstetrician and an assistant for gynaecology until the birth of her son. Sarah joined the Highway Hospice in 1997. She went on to obtain a Diploma in Palliative Medicine in Wales, an M.Phil. in Palliative Medicine from UCT and she undertook Doctor’s Dispensing and Clinical HIV Management courses in 2005.
At the time of her passing, Sarah was employed by Highway Hospice as Medical Director, Deputy CEO and also Head of Education. She served as the Chairperson of Hospice Association KwaZulu-Natal (HAKZN) board from 2015 and contributed to the Hospice Palliative Care Association (HPCA) as a board member for many years. Sarah also worked in the Department of Family Medicine at the Nelson Mandela Medical School as a Senior Lecturer in Palliative Medicine. In this capacity, she provided guidance and support to undergraduate students and registrars who were pursuing a Masters in Family Medicine and Palliative Medicine as a module therein. Sarah also served as an external examiner in Palliative Medicine for UCT’s Diploma exams from 2004 through to 2010 and again in 2015.
In 2014, she was recognised as KwaZulu-Natal Regional Business Woman of the Year 2014. She leaves us all richer, kinder and ultimately happier for having known her. Thank you Sarah, for sharing your passion and your inspiration with us.
Tributes to the beloved Dr Sarah Fakroodeen
If you would like to send us a tribute, please email leigh.melnert@hpca.co.za with what you would like us to include on the page.