Deeply saddened as we in the South African health community were by the loss of Professor Jerry Hoosen Coovadia on 4 October 2023, I reflected on what he had come to mean in my medical career and in my life.
“Prof Jerry”, as we called him, was an internationally renowned South African paediatrician, public health and justice activist and clinician scientist. He made a lasting impact on child health, the response to HIV in South Africa and the region. He died, aged 83, at his home in KwaZulu-Natal, leaving his wife, Dr Zubeida “Zubie” Hamed.
What stands out for me is his principled, pragmatic and compassionate approach to paediatrics and child health. And then how these principles were brought to bear in response to the HIV epidemic.
