Akbar is a consultant neurosurgeon at the Royal Victoria Infirmary – he specialises in functional neurosurgery and surgery in eloquent areas of the brain.
Proud to be a Geordie born and bred he describes working at the RVI as ‘a dream come true for a Geordie lad.’
Akbar features twice this series, first in episode four where he performs DBS surgery to try to cure his patient Michael’s essential tremor. Then again in episode five – performing brain surgery on patient Susan who has debilitating facial pain.
What made you get into this area of work?
My father had spine surgery when I was a child under the care of Mr Sengupta at the Newcastle General Hospital. I had the privilege of watching him work and this inspired me to become a neurosurgeon.
What is your favourite part of your work?
Being able to spend your life making others feel better and improve their quality of life is a true honour.
What would you say to someone who is interested in progressing a similar career?
If you don’t mind hard work and you enjoy looking after people, then this is the job for you.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I am Martial artist, teaching Choy lee fut kung fu in China town Newcastle and I also have a black belt in Wu shu kwan. This is a great way to let off steam and I also enjoy passing on knowledge to younger practitioners while striving for perfection in my own techniques.
How was the filming?
It was great to be able to demonstrate the multidisciplinary nature of my practice, I can’t do what I do without all the team around me.
How to you feel about being part of the series?
Being a Geordie born and bred being part of the series has allowed me to show the wider population what I have always known – Newcastle Hospitals is a great place for patients. The staff from all departments truly care for each individual patient and we all pride ourselves in providing the highest standard of care, unmatched elsewhere.
