Blacktown Hospital registrar takes home the inaugural Santosh Rampersad’s Memorial Award

Recognised for his hard work and dedication to psychiatry, Blacktown Hospital registrar Usama Munir has become the first recipient of the Santosh Rampersad Memorial Award.

This inaugural award was set up in dedication of Santosh Rampersad, an education support officer for the Sydney West and Greater Southern Psychiatry Training Network, who sadly passed away in November 2018.

Usama said winning the award meant a lot to him because of the legacy Santosh left behind.

 “Santosh was very dedicated to his job and showed a very high level of care towards both his patients and his colleagues,” Usama said.

“This award will motivate me to deliver the same level of care and enthusiasm as Santosh did.

“I have been working for the Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) for eight years now and to be recognised for my work is a great honour.”

The nominees and winner were selected by WSLHD psychiatry and clinical directors to showcase the dedication of junior doctors across the psychiatry network.  

The award ceremony was held at Blacktown Hospital where Santosh’s family presented Usama with a certificate and gift voucher.

Education support officer Richa Gupta said they are very grateful to Santosh’s wife and children for helping to honour him and the legacy he left behind.

“Usama has a lot of the qualities that Santosh has in the sense of helpfulness and dedication,” Richa said.

“Unfortunately with current restrictions we couldn’t have to ceremony open to everyone. We streamed it live online for those who wanted to be a part but couldn’t.”

The annual award is presented by the Sydney West and Greater Southern Psychiatry Training Network. It will continue to recognise and memorialise Santosh’s hard work and dedication to the medical field, and acknowledge the efforts of junior doctors across WSLHD’s psychiatry network.

To read more about Santosh, and the legacy he left behind click here.