Published02 Feb 2022

How would you introduce yourself?

Hi, I am Hamid, a consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon with a subspecialty interest in hip, knee, sports and joint preserving surgery. I also spend some time pursuing biomechanics and translational research in the same domains. Outside of work, I do voluntary work with various organizations covering issues pertaining to youth, the elderly and the migrant population. I am a husband to a beautiful wife and a father to three wonderful children.

What motivated you to practice medicine?

As far as I remember, I had already wanted to be a doctor when I was as young as twelve. There is a back story to this. When I was young, I was very close to my late grandfather. He was a 2nd generation Singaporean and my ancestors had migrated from South India during Singapore’s transformative years seeking greener pastures. As such, he kept mentioning to me that it would be his proudest moment if someone from his lineage could become a doctor as a first in this family. It was a big motivation for me to fulfil his dreams. Besides, I was deeply enthralled by science and was always in awe of the beauty behind the intricate biological systems in our body. These were all factors in my motivation to choose medicine.

What's your specialty and why did you choose it?

I am an Orthopaedic Surgeon which means my specialty is Orthopaedic Surgery – a field that deals with bones and joints of the musculoskeletal system. I was drawn to this specialty because of both the breadth and depth it offers not just in terms of clinical practice, but also in research and innovation. The instant gratification you get when you fix a fracture, reconstruct a torn ligament or replace a degenerated joint is indescribable and was a major draw for me!

What does a typical day as an Orthopaedic Surgeon look like for you?

No two days are the same as every patient we see has unique problems. However, a typical day would usually start at 730am with department meetings. This is followed by a ward round with my team where I check on the patients admitted in hospital under my care. Subsequently, I would either start my clinics where patients are seen in the outpatient setting or proceed to the operating theatre for scheduled surgeries. A good day would typically end at about 5 to 530pm but this depends on a variety of factors. Most of the time, I end by 6 to 630pm and would be home in time for dinner.

What are your goals for the future?

I just hope to continue helping my patients in all ways that I can. Directly, through medication, procedures and surgeries as well as indirectly through research, innovation and policies.

If you could start your career over again, what would you do differently?

I do not think I would have chosen differently. However, I do wish that I would have dedicated more time to learn how to harness technology to improve clinical medicine. Today, I am embracing technology quite significantly to improve care for my patients but the learning curve is indeed steep. If I had started to learn more broadly and deeply say 10 years ago, perhaps the learning curve would have been smoothened.

Have you found anything particularly helpful in your journey to where you are today?

Surgeons lead very busy lives and sometimes in our quest to achieve excellence for the sake of our patients, we forget that we need to care for ourselves too. What I have found helpful is to always take time to reflect, introspect and re-focus our energy if there is a need to. Needless to say, I have found that putting in effort to look after ourselves – to eat well, to hydrate adequately, to get sufficient rest and to be active – these are all very important and have definitely been helpful in my journey.

What's your advice for doctors who are just starting out?

Your patients are your best teachers. The disease that we are treating may be the same across hundreds of patients, however how the disease presents will be different for each one of them. We are masters of the science of medicine but many a time we forget the art of medicine. Listen to your patients. They are our best teachers.

What do you do for fun?

Whatever free time I have, I try to dedicate as much of it as possible for my family. With my children, I enjoy doing craft and construction. We also try to get outdoors on weekends and when weather permits, we explore the many parks we are blessed with. I am a football junkie and so I do regularly watch it on the television. As the pandemic restrictions have limited the opportunities to play football these days, I do quite a bit of running these days.