Tribute to Late Prof. Abdulhamid Isa Dutse-Mustapha Hikima

When we gained admission into the medical school, Prof Abdulhamid Isa Dutse was the Dean, Faculty of Medicine. To us, the then 200 level medical students, there was no doctor bigger than the dean.

I remember vividly when he visited us during our 300 level Community based medical education posting at Bechi and Shekar Mai Daki. I remember the funny story he narrated about the sartorius muscle.

It was our first major chance to meet him one on one. We were completely mesmerized by his oratory powers and knowledge. Under his watch as the Dean, Bayero University Kano, Medical school grew to become one of the best medical schools in the country!

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Very early after moving on to the second part of our medical training, the clinical part, Prof Abdulhamid Dutse was the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital. Again, there was no bigger Doctor known to us than the CMD.

Having known his precedents, it wasn’t a surprise to us to see AKTH become one of the best teaching hospitals in the country under his watch. Before assuming that position, he had played a key role in getting AKTH to become a teaching hospital in the first place.

Prof Isa Dutse was unique to us as a teacher, in that he was the only one who taught us in two entirely different disciplines. First, as a clinical haematologist, he was virtually the only one available then to teach haematology as a component of pathology.

Again, as a respiratory physician, he would teach in the Medicine department accordingly. He taught us tirelessly, despite his enormous administrative burdens. I still remember complex entities like the Plummer-Vinson syndrome and South-East Asian Ovalocytosis as taught by him.

Prof Dutse would ordinarily demand so much from his students, making them see how hard they need to work to excel and become good doctors. His classes were some of the toughest we’ve witnessed as medical students.

The one time SSG of Jigawa State would be remembered as a fantastic physician, an administrator par excellence, a rare orator and above all, extremely God-fearing gentleman.

Prof. Abdulhamid Dutse maintained a close relationship with many doctors, young and old alike. On 22nd September, barely 2 weeks ago, he called me and asked for the contact of a certain colleague. I sent him the contact and he replied me “many thanks”. How was I to know that he’d be gone by now?

May Allah have mercy on his soul. May Jannatul Firdaus be his final abode. Amin.

Dr Mustapha Hikima is the Chief Medical Director, Abdullahi Wase Specialist Hospital, Kano