Abdul Ghaffar Billoo ( born 14 January 1937) is a Pakistani philanthropist who founded HANDS International a Nonprofit organisation in Pakistan which has been working since 1975. As a paediatric endocrinologist, he served at the

Aga Khan University Aga Khan University is a private research university based in Karachi, Pakistan. It is a non-profit institution and an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network. It was founded in 1983 as Pakistan's first private university. Starting in 2000, t ...

(AKU) where he serve as professor of clinical paediatrics.Aga Khan University Profile
He was awarded with

Sitara-i-Imtiaz The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and Civil decorations of Pakistan, civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially me ...

for public services the most prestigious

civilian award A civilian is a person who is not a member of an armed force. It is illegal under the law of armed conflict to target civilians with military attacks, along with numerous other considerations for civilians during times of war. If a civilian engag ...

by then-

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

General Pervez Musharraf Pervez Musharraf (11 August 1943 – 5 February 2023) was a Pakistani general and politician who served as the tenth president of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008. Prior to his career in politics, he was a four-star general and :Pakistan Army ...

in March 2007.

Early life

Billoo was born in

Junagadh Junagadh () is the city and headquarters of Junagadh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Located at the foot of the Girnar hills, southwest of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar (the state capital), it is the seventh largest city in the state. It i ...

in 1937. He received his early education from his native town in India after

partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

his family was migrated to Pakistan. Personality of the Week Program – A Renowned Pediatrician
Retrieved Kal Point 16 December 2012

Education

Billoo obtained his

MBBS A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

degree from

Dow Medical College Dow Medical College is a public medical school located in the city of Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It was founded in 1945 and named after British civil servant Sir Hugh Dow, Governor of Sindh. In 2003, it became a constituent college of the newl ...

in 1959. He received his Diploma in Child Health, Tropical Medicine, and Hygiene from the United Kingdom in 1962. He was qualified for his MRCP in 1964 and appointed a

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that set the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by royal charter i ...

in 1986.Brief profile
Retrieved, Schildnews Newspaper

Career

Billoo started his professional career in 1959 from

Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre The Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), formerly known as RAF Hospital No. 10, Pakistan Central Hospital, and Jinnah Central Hospital, is a public healthcare institute located at ''Rafiqui Shaheed Road'' in Karachi Cantonment area of Ka ...

. He joined Institute of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene on 1962 located in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

. He was appointed as Registrar in Pediatrics at Seafield Sick Children Hospital Ayrshire, Scotland in 1962 where he worked for three years. After four years in the United Kingdom he came back to Pakistan and started practicing as Pediatrician later in September 1998 he joined Aga Khan University Hospital as chairman of Department of Pediatrics in the university.Physician Profile The Aga Khan University Hospital
He not only served as professor and Head of Pediatrics Department in Dow Medical College but also was the part of University of Karachi as Dean Faculty of Medicine for three years.

Honors and awards

* 1964 – Membership for

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow is a global community of over 15,000 Members working together to develop skills, knowledge and leadership to drive the highest standards in healthcare. For 425 years, the Royal College of ...

. * 1975 – Founder and chairman for HANDS Pakistan. * 1986 – Fellowship of

. * 2007 –

from

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia, con ...

. 26 Civil Awards Conferred in Sindh
Retrieved Daily Times, Saturday, 24 March 2007
Retrieved Daily Dawn, 24 March 2007 * 2012 – Professor

Emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

from

.AKU confers degrees on 321 students
Retrieved, Dawn News, 19 November 2012 02:41:03

Publications

Billo has more than 200 publications top 20 publications in

United States National Library of Medicine The United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), operated by the United States federal government, is the world's largest medical library. Located in Bethesda, Maryland, the NLM is an institute within the National Institutes of Health. I ...

as follows: * Role of a Probiotic (Saccharoyces boularidii) in management and prevention of diarrhoea.Role of a Probiotic
Retrieved, US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, 2006 Jul 28;12(28):4557-60. * Comparison of oral versus injectable vitamin-D for the treatment of nutritional vitamin-D deficiency rickets.Comparison of oral versus injectable vitamin-D for the treatment of nutritional vitamin-D deficiency rickets.
Retrieved, US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, doi: 07.2009/JCPSP.428431. * Incomplete Kawaski disease: are we missing it? Incomplete Kawaski disease: are we missing it?
Retrieved, US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, J Pak Med Assoc. 2009 Jan;59(1):42-3. * Perception and practices of breastfeeding of infants 0–6 months in an urban and a semi-urban community in Pakistan: a cross-sectional study.Perception and practices of breastfeeding of infants 0–6 months in an urban and a semi-urban community in Pakistan: a cross-sectional study.
Retrieved, US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, J Pak Med Assoc. 2011 Jan;61(1):99–104. * Familial chylomicronemia in a nine months old infant.Familial chylomicronemia in a nine months old infant
Retrieved, US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, J Coll Physicians Surg Pak. 2008 Oct;18(10):655-6. * A family with acute intermittent porphyria.A family with acute intermittent porphyria
Retrieved, US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, J Coll Physicians Surg Pak. 2008 May;18(5):316-8. doi: 05.2008/JCPSP.316318. * Pulmonary agenesis—vascular airway compression and gastroesophageal reflux influence outcome.Pulmonary agenesis—vascular airway compression and gastroesophageal reflux influence outcome
Retrieved, US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, J Pediatr Surg. 2006 Jun;41(6):1165-9. Review. * Association of literacy of mothers with malnutrition among children under three years of age in rural area of district Malir, Karachi.Association of literacy of mothers with malnutrition among children under three years of age in rural area of district Malir, Karachi
Retrieved, US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, J Pak Med Assoc. 2005 Dec;55(12):550-3. * Association between iron deficiency anemia and febrile seizures.Association between iron deficiency anemia and febrile seizures
Retrieved, US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, J Coll Physicians Surg Pak. 2005 Jun;15(6):338-40. * Profile of children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia—a hospital study.Profile of children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia—a hospital study.
Retrieved, US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, J Pak Med Assoc. 2004 Oct;54(10):509-12. * Impact of socioeconomic conditions on perinatal mortality in Karachi.Impact of socioeconomic conditions on perinatal mortality in Karachi.
Retrieved, US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, J Pak Med Assoc. 2001 Oct;51(10):354-60. * Cefixime: an oral option for the treatment of multidrug-resistant enteric fever in children.Cefixime: an oral option for the treatment of multidrug-resistant enteric fever in children.
Retrieved, US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, South Med J. 1997 Dec;90(12):1204-7. * Detection and management of pneumonia by community health workers-a community intervention study in Rehri village, Pakistan.Detection and management of pneumonia by community health workers-a community intervention study in Rehri village, Pakistan.
Retrieved, US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, J Pak Med Assoc. 1997 Feb;47(2):42-5. * Rehabilitation of grade III protein energy malnutrition on out patients basis.Rehabilitation of grade III protein energy malnutrition on out patients basis.
Retrieved, US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, J Pak Med Assoc. 1995 Dec;45(12):312-4. * Risk factors of persistent diarrhoea in children below five years of age.Risk factors of persistent diarrhoea in children below five years of age.
Retrieved, US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, J Pak Med Assoc. 1995 Nov;45(11):290-2. * Expanded programme of immunisation in Karachi.Expanded programme of immunization in Karachi.
Retrieved, US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, J Pak Med Assoc. 1995 Feb;45(2):34-7. * A change of Plasmodium species infecting children in Karachi over the last decade.A change of Plasmodium species infecting children in Karachi over the last decade.
Retrieved, US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, J Pak Med Assoc. 1994 Jul;44(7):162-4. * A traditional diet as part of oral rehydration therapy in severe acute diarrhoea in young children.A traditional diet as part of oral rehydration therapy in severe acute diarrhoea in young children.
Retrieved, US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, J Diarrhoeal Dis Res. 1991 Sep;9(3):258-63. * Comparative clinical trial of acceptability of flavoured vs non-flavoured ORS (WHO formula).Comparative clinical trial of acceptability of flavoured vs non-flavoured ORS (WHO formula)
Retrieved, US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, J Pak Med Assoc. 1987 Jul;37(7):167-70. * Efficacy of co-trimoxazole in infantile gastro-enteritis.Efficacy of co-trimoxazole in infantile gastro-enteritis.
Retrieved, US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, Curr Med Res Opin. 1978;5(6):439-43. * Abstracts in

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

's Imemr database.

Philanthropy

Billoo founded Health and Nutrition Development Society (HANDS) with his few close friends which has been serving humanity since 1975.HANDS on Child Marriages Issue
Retrieved, The News International, 22 January 2013 It works on health, human rights, education, disaster management and poverty alleviation.Child Abuse Rehabilitated
Retrieved, Pakistan Press Foundation, 2 March 2007

References

External links

HANDS Pakistan

Aga Khan University

Memon Medical Institute Hospital

{{DEFAULTSORT:Billoo, Abdul Gaffar 1937 births Living people Academic staff of Aga Khan University Pakistani paediatric endocrinologists Pakistani people of Gujarati descent Academic staff of the University of Karachi Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Dow Medical College alumni Academic staff of Dow Medical College Memon people Muhajir people Pakistani philanthropists Pakistani Muslims Indian emigrants to Pakistan