Habib Rahman was a consultant orthopaedic surgeon in the West Midlands, who worked to strengthen medical training locally and internationally, establishing a scheme that cemented links between the NHS and Pakistan, the country of his birth.
Born in the Punjab, Rahman defied racist attitudes at the heart of the UK medical establishment to become the first surgeon of Pakistani origin to complete the new Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) exam in orthopaedics, in 1995. Royal College of Surgeons members initially objected to him taking it, say Rahman’s family and friends. “Habib was quite a fiery character, in a positive way, and he didn’t kowtow to anybody. He pursued it with the college, and passed the exam,” explains Asad Rahim, a consultant endocrinologist at University Hospitals Birmingham and long term colleague.
Rahman went on to become a consultant in Birmingham (now the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, HEFT) and for over 28 years worked to develop orthopaedic and trauma services and the training of junior doctors and medical students.
Rahman was determined to repay the country of his birth through his work, say colleagues. He was also …