Jerry Coovadia remembered - a champion of science, children and compassionate public health

By Linda-Gail Bekker, Professor of medicine and deputy director of the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre at the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town

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…

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