BHATKAL: Senior Bhatkal journalist and SahilOnline Managing Editor Inayatullah Gawai has undergone successful heart surgery at Starcare Hospital in Kozhikode. According to his family, his condition has improved following the procedure and he remains under the care and observation of the medical team.
Gawai suddenly felt dizzy and collapsed while offering Maghrib prayers at Noor Masjid in Bhatkal on August 15, following which he lost consciousness. He was immediately shifted to Welfare Hospital in Bhatkal, where a preliminary examination led doctors to suspect a blockage in one of the arteries supplying the heart. He was subsequently taken to a hospital in Mangaluru for further evaluation before being shifted to Starcare Hospital in Kozhikode.
At Starcare Hospital, noted cardiologist Dr Ali Faizal conducted further examinations and confirmed a blockage in one of the coronary arteries. He subsequently performed the required procedure, which was successful.
News of Gawai's surgery caused concern among his relatives, friends and well-wishers in Bhatkal and elsewhere. According to his family, many people have been calling to enquire about his health, while several of his acquaintances in Dubai have also been regularly seeking updates on his condition.
SahilOnline Chairman Atiqur Rahman Muniri, Vice-Chairman Abdul Mateen Ekkeri and Rahmatullah Rahi, and other directors, including Jailani Mohtisham, Afaque Naitey, Ubaidullah Askiri, Abdul Salam Damdabu and Ashfaque Sada, have expressed their concern and conveyed their best wishes for Gawai's recovery. They have appealed to readers and well-wishers to pray for his complete and speedy recovery and for his treatment to progress smoothly.
Gawai has been associated with journalism for several years and serves as the Managing Editor of SahilOnline, a prominent news portal published in Urdu, English and Kannada. He also contributes to several leading Urdu and English newspapers and is particularly known for his strong ground reporting.
Gawai had earlier undergone open-heart surgery in 2009 under the supervision of Dr Ali Faizal at the then Malabar Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS) in Kozhikode, now known as Aster MIMS Hospital. He has continued to receive medical treatment in Kerala under Dr Faizal's supervision. His previous association with the medical team was also a key reason he was promptly taken to Kozhikode following his recent health episode.
According to his family, Gawai remains under medical observation and his condition is stable. The family has appealed to his colleagues, readers, friends and well-wishers to remember him in their prayers and pray for his speedy and complete recovery.