The T&T Medical Association (TTMA) hopes that Dr Kevin King’s short but eventful life will be an inspiration to the population to lead good lives.
King died at the Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon, India, on April 29, where he had gone to undergo a critical liver transplant.
The Tobago House of Assembly had paid for King’s surgery and Tobagonians and his colleagues at the Scarborough General Hospital also donated to the cause.
In a release on behalf of the TTMA, Dr Roslyn Alfred said, “King was loved by all across the country and by everyone - staff, patients, their relatives, everyone that met him and even those who had just heard about him.
“God had his plan for him and he completed his destiny and purpose fully on this earth; and that we can’t argue with, or question.
“We are grateful to his mum and family for growing him up to be such a great human being and leader. We grieve with them and will never forget him. We thank God for him.”
King was born on July 21, 1978 and grew up in Moriah, Tobago.
He was a scholarship recipient and graduated from the Faculty of Medical Sciences, St George’s University and would have spent some time in the United Kingdom (UK).
He was an acting registrar in the department of Surgery at the Scarborough General Hospital.
King had a profound love for urology and was an excellent surgeon and teacher.
He previously worked in the Urology department at the San Fernando General Hospital, Trinidad.
King always went beyond and above the call of duty and enjoyed life and he would often say to his colleagues “stop stressing.”
He also took his spirituality seriously. King gave a considerable amount of his time to the work of the church and was an avid member of the programme, Rite of Christian Initiation (RCIA) of adults since 2014.
The association said its members were comforted by the fact that King made peace with the Lord before his untimely passing.
He left to mourn his mother Florence King, brother Keilon and nephew Kelion.
The association said King was jovial, comical, easy going and made everyone laugh, even while hospitalised.
His seniors described him as intelligent, confident, proactive, dependable, trustworthy, reliable, honest, strong minded and emphasised the fact that he never used his ailment as an excuse for anything.
The association said the memory of King, who was awarded “Doctor of the Year for 2017” by the Tobago Regional Health Authority, will live forever.
King had to seek surgery abroad because at present, only renal transplants and some corneal transplants are done in T&T via the National Organ Transplant Unit.
To date, up to 166 renal patients have been transplanted from both cadaveric and live donors.
T&T is the only country in the Caribbean that has a Human Tissue and Transplant Act (2006) and a code of ethics that pertains to transplants.
T&T has also been doing renal transplants since 1989 and that patient is still alive.