Dr. Mohammad Zulfiquar Hussain received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2009 Prince Albert Parkland Regional Health Authority Health Excellence Awards. (submitted photo/Saskatchewan Health Authority)

By Alison Sandstrom

Colleagues send condolences

P.A. psychiatrist remembered

Oct 15, 2019 | 5:24 PM

The Prince Albert medical community is mourning the loss of a well-respected professional.

Dr. Mohammad Zulfiquar Hussain, chief of psychiatry for P.A. and area, died suddenly of a heart attack on Saturday. He practiced in the community for over 40 years.

Former Victoria Hospital Chief of Staff Dr. Louis Poulin worked alongside Hussain for 30 years.

“He was practicing before I started and he continued practicing for another 11 years after I retired,” Poulin told paNOW.

“He was really hard-working and the friendliest guy you could want to meet.”

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Poulin remembers Hussain for his commitment to the job, relentless positively and intellect.

“I recognize him as one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever known, he was superb in his pharmacotherapeutics, he knew how to use drugs in patients that I had never seen before,” he said.

According to Poulin, Hussain took on difficult child psychiatry cases from around the province and Alberta, never complaining of his heavy workload.

Dr. Mohammad Zulfiquar Hussain and Dr. Louis Poulin with their lifetime achievement awards (submitted photo/Saskatchewan Health Authority)

“It’s definitely going to impact services for mental health in our region,” another former colleague Dr. Stan Oleksinski said. “It’s not going to be easy to replace him, it will take two or three psychiatrists. He worked very hard.”

Hussain was also well known for his volunteer work and philanthropy in the community. He founded Prince Albert’s first mosque, refusing donations and covering the overhead and upkeep costs every month himself.

A native of Pakistan, Poulin said Hussain opened a school for poor children in his home region, something he took incredible pride in.

“He wasn’t someone who talked a lot about himself or his accomplishments, but I know his school was one of his favourite topics,” he said.

Dr. Hussain’s funeral was held in Saskatoon on Saturday.

A memorial will be held at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 20 at the Ches Leach Lounge at the Art Hauser Center.

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom