Published on: 22 July 2024
As part of South Asian Heritage Month (18 July to 17 August), Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is celebrating its diverse workforce by sharing colleagues’ stories and shining a spotlight on their lives. 
This year’s theme is ‘free to be me’. Dr Abbas Ramji, Deputy Director of Medical Education and Consultant Psychiatrist at Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, is of South Asian heritage and discusses what he does in his role, his background and what being South Asian means to him.
Here, Abbas highlights how his cultural differences have helped him and his colleagues at work – and shares the importance of making time to celebrate your background amongst the busyness of everyday life.
What is your job role?
I am a Consultant Psychiatrist and Deputy Director of Medical Education, having worked at Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust for the past 11 years.
Tell us something about your family and background.
Although I am originally Indian, my parents were born in East Africa – or British East Africa as it was then. After Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya (making up East Africa) gained independence, there was a significant contingent of approximately 50,000 East African Asians (mainly Gujarati Indians) who moved to the UK in the 1970s when the Ugandan President expelled the South Asians from Uganda. This was around the time my parents took refuge in the UK and began to rebuild their lives.
East African Asians are known for being hard-working entrepreneurs, and the challenge of having to restart their lives in the UK was met head on. Today, many of the descendants of those South Asians who moved to the UK in the 1970s run successful businesses and work as leading professionals in a wide variety of fields, including medicine.
What does being South Asian mean to you?
For me as an East African of South Asian heritage, I feel I embody an enriched enmeshment of several ethnic cultural backgrounds. First and foremost, being born and brought up in the Midlands, I am very much British, although being of South Asian Indian descent. The fact my family moved from India and lived in British East Africa for two generations before moving to the UK, means we have a wide variety of ethnic influences. South Asians who lived in East Africa had taken on East African influences. However, East Africa is also influenced by the middle east, as it was once part of the former Omani Empire prior to being part of the former British Empire. Therefore, being East African Asian means an enriched combination of Indian, East African, Omani and British influences in traditions, culture and cuisine.
How does your South Asian background shape the work you do for the NHS?
East African Asians are well known for being extremely hard working. Having graduated from the University of Birmingham medical school and having lived in the Midlands all my life, I have always strived to achieve the best possible care and outcomes for all my patients. I am privileged to be able to work in the Erewash Community Mental Health Team, a team which reflects my personal values of being hard working, striving to achieve the best and always being supportive and positive.
This year’s theme is ‘free to be me’; what does that mean to you and is there something that you are proud of in terms of your heritage and working for the Trust?
Derbyshire Healthcare celebrates and promotes the rich mix of staff that we have within the Trust from all backgrounds. There are no barriers and, as long as we are willing to work hard, give dedication and commitment, then the Trust supports and promotes the work of all colleagues. This very much reflects the working ethos of the East African South Asian community.
Are you working on anything exciting currently in your job?
Alongside my captivating clinical role, my educational role is fascinating. I am involved in working with the wider postgraduate medical education team to ensure Derbyshire Healthcare remains one of the leading Trusts in the region for teaching and training junior doctors. My role involves the co-ordination and organisation of the junior doctor training programme in southern Derbyshire, but also pastoral support for junior doctors, and guidance for clinical and education supervisors too.
