Specialist surgeon to retire after 42 years in medicine

Asit Kar, the first general surgeon with a specialist interest in vascular work to be employed at Scunthorpe General Hospital, is to retire after 42 years in medicine and nearly 20 years at the hospital.

Mr Kar, 65, was born in India and followed his father, a doctor, into medicine.

He arrived in Scunthorpe in 1991, having worked extensively across the UK and also on the back of a 10-year post in Zambia, where he was a consultant surgeon and chief medical officer of Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Hospitals.

He moved to the UK for family reasons and joined Scunthorpe Hospital as its first consultant general surgeon with a special interest in vascular surgery.

"Scunthorpe is now very much my second home," he said.

"I have been here for 19 very happy years. I will be sad to leave the hospital and the people.

"When I arrived in Scunthorpe there was no one doing vascular work. It was not like nowadays where people specialise.

"I was privileged to have set up a vascular service in this area and over the years to have been able to share my expertise in helping to train new doctors."

Mr Kar said he had seen many changes over the years, including consultants taking a step back from running hospitals and surgeons becoming more specialised.

He said: "There has also been tremendous changes with things like CT and MRI diagnostics now available, and of course keyhole surgery which was a big change.

"These less invasive procedures are better for the patient as the recovery time is so much quicker."

Mr Kar said he planned to rest before taking up his leisure interests, while also hoping to do voluntary work in impoverished communities abroad.

He said: "I will be taking a break first of all. Then I will look forward to playing golf and sailing. I will also look into the opportunities available for volunteer work in a Third World country."

He added: "I have always lived my life in the fast lane, so it will be interesting to see what a slower pace of life has to bring. I would like to thank everyone for a wonderful 19 years at Scunthorpe."