Dr Imtiaz Sooliman receives prestigious CMSA honorary fellowship

Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, founder and chairman of Gift of the Givers, has been admitted as an Honorary Fellow of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa (CMSA) in recognition of his lifelong commitment to healthcare, humanity and service.

Sooliman was admitted to the fellowship at an event in Randburg on Tuesday evening, where medical professionals and academics gathered to recognise his contribution to humanitarian work and healthcare.

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Among those present were Professor Vidya Lalloo, head of the Department of Medicine at Kalafong Hospital, who recounted Sooliman’s achievements and contribution to society, and Professor Mergan Naidoo, family physician, clinician-scientist and health professions educator at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, who serves as president of the College of Family Physicians of South Africa and vice-president of the CMSA.

The CMSA was founded and financed by members of the medical profession in 1954 and registered as a non-profit company in 1955.

Its mission includes promoting high standards of medical and dental practice, ethical conduct and the betterment of humanity.

From doctor to humanitarian

Lalloo described Sooliman as “a medical doctor, a humanitarian, a visionary leader, and an exceptional servant of humanity whose life’s work exemplifies the transformative power of medicine in the service of society.”

“Under Dr. Sooliman’s leadership, it has delivered humanitarian assistance in excess of R6 billion across 47 countries, responding to victims of wars, earthquakes, floods, drought, famine, disease outbreaks, and humanitarian crises with remarkable speed, innovation, and compassion,” Lalloo said.

The organisation has also worked on water security, food relief and medical services, including the development of containerised mobile healthcare facilities.

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During the Covid-19 pandemic, Gift of the Givers supported hospitals across South Africa by providing medical equipment, personal protective equipment, testing facilities, water supplies and oxygen and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) devices.

The organisation also conducted an urban search-and-rescue operation in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake, rescuing a woman who had been trapped beneath rubble for eight days.

‘Medicine is not merely a profession’

Lalloo said Sooliman’s work had demonstrated that the role of a doctor extends beyond the consulting room.

Throughout his career, Dr Sooliman has reminded healthcare professionals that medicine is not merely a profession, but a vocation grounded in compassion, service, and human dignity.

She added that he had shown that a physician’s responsibility extended wherever human suffering existed, inspiring healthcare professionals to use their knowledge and skills in the service of others.

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Sooliman’s contribution has been recognised through numerous national and international honours, including the Order of the Baobab (Silver), the Ubuntu Award for Social Diplomacy and the Chancellor’s Medal of the University of Pretoria.

He has also received honorary doctorates from 11 South African universities.

The CMSA has previously described the Honorary Fellowship as its highest honour, including when recognising the late Emeritus Professor University of KwaZulu-Natal YK Seedat for his contribution to medicine and medical professionalism.