Dr. Edward Lobo: Medical practice his profession and Social Service his passion

By Dr. Eugene DSouza, Moodubelle
Bellevision Media network

Moodubelle, 13 February 2011: While people get themselves involved in a particular profession, they find it extremely difficult to devote their time to any other activity leave alone community work. However, Dr. Edward Lobo’s life and career have been quite different from such ‘i have no time’ type of people. In spite of being a successful medical practitioner, Dr. Edward Lobo found time to render social service through various forums and involve himself in community projects and parish activities. The list of his social service, the posts held by him in various institutions and organisations and the awards conferred on him including the National Award for Service in the Field of Child Development in 2003 makes an interesting reading.  This is the story of Dr. Edward Lobo for whom medical practice has been his profession where as social service his passion.

 

 

Edward Lobo was born on 25th February 1946 at Kulshekar, Mangalore as the fourth among six children, four sons and two daughters of late Basil and Juliana Lobo. Edward had his initial education up to seventh standard at St. Joseph’s Higher Primary School, Kulshekar and high school education at the Padua High school completing SSLC in 1963. Thereafter, Edward went on to study PUC in science at St. Philomena College, Puttur, thereafter  proceeded to Bangalore for medical studies and after five years of meticulous study acquired medical degree from  Sri Jayachamarajendra Institute of  India Medicine at Bangalore.

 

When asked about his decision to join the medical profession, Dr. Edward Lobo narrated the circumstances that led to his choice of the profession.  Right from his childhood, Edward had a desire to render humanitarian service to the poor and needy which was strengthened as he grew up. As a student he would join members of the Society of St. Vincent De Paul of his Parish at Kulshekar visiting the poor and the sick. Burning with a desire to help the sick and afflicted, Edward realised that by joining the medical profession he could fulfil his desire.

 

After completing the medical education in Bangalore, Dr. Edward Lobo served as a medical officer in the Perpetual Help Hospital at Sasthan for one year from 1969 to 1970. Meanwhile, he also acquired the fellowship of Integrated Medical College, Agra (FIMC) through correspondence course.

 

 

Meanwhile, Dr. Edward Lobo was looking for a place to have his private medical practice and an opportunity to serve the community which he got in Shankerpura where he established ‘Nirmala Clinic’ in May 1970.  Patients gradually began to frequent the dispensary of Dr. Edward Lobo  as they found him to be approachable, humane and quite reasonable.  He has been not only available in his clinic during the forenoon and afternoon scheduled times but could be approached at his residence during any time of the day or night during emergencies. Dr. Edward Lobo had never turned off anyone whenever they sought his help in any matter.

 

As his dream had been, along with his medical practice, Dr. Edward Lobo plunged into social service and community development projects. Finding the Rotary Club as a forum for social service, Dr. Edward Lobo enrolled himself in the Rotary Club of Shirva and became its president in 1982-83. With a desire to spread the Rotary movement, Dr. Edward Lobo took imitative and became the founder of the Rotary Club in Shankerpura in 1984 and was appointed as the Rotary Governor’s Special Representative (GSR) and served as its president between 1991-92 and 2008-09.

 

Dr. Edward Lobo has been the president of the Rotary Trust since 2006 and has been instrumental in organising medical camps especially psychiatric camps. Since the last six years three eminent psychiatric doctors have been attending regularly these camps which are being organised on first Sundays of every month. Around hundred patients have benefited from these camps. The Rotary Trust has also provided drinking water facility to around 350 families living in three cents and five cents government housing projects by providing them well, pump and  water pipes.

 

One of the primary concerns of Dr. Edward Lobo while he was practicing medicine in Shankerpura was to improve upon the facilities and implement new developmental schemes through government and public support. With this view in mind, Dr. Edward Lobo took initiative to establish the ‘Nagarika Samithi’ and became its founder president from 1985 to 1992. Interacting with different communities, promoting communal harmony and involving all the communities in developmental activities have been the chief activities of the ‘Nagarika Samithi’.

 

Besides practicing medicine and involving himself in social service through various forums, Dr. Edward Lobo got himself involved in various parish activities. He has been a member of Society of St. Vincent de Paul since its inception in St. John the Evangelist parish, Shankerpura; had been the secretary of the Parish Pastoral Council for two terms: from 2001 to 2004 and from 2007 to 2010 and since this year (2011) he has been elected as the vice president of the Parish Pastoral Council for three years till 2013. Dr. Edward Lobo had been active in the Catholic Sabha movement since its inception and became the founder president of the Catholic Sabha Unit of the Shankerpura Parish from 1988 to 1989 and the founder president of the Catholic Sabha, Shirva Region from 1989 to 1992.

 

 

Meanwhile, the Catholic Sabha of Mangalore which was established in 1979, had been working in spreading social and political awareness among the people, providing career guidance to the youth and organising agricultural, legal and medical camps. Realising the need to have a concrete field of social work, the Catholic Sabha members decided to start institutions to rehabilitate and train the mentally challenged children. Being actively involved in the Catholic Sabha movement, Dr. Edward Lobo took initiative to start a special school for mentally challenged children at Shankerpura and became its Correspondent from 1991 to 1997. In 1992 another such school was founded in Shirva. These special schools were known as ‘Manasa Special Schools’.

 

The good work that had been going on in the Manasa Special Schools at Shankerpura and Shirva encouraged the Catholic Sabha to undertake a survey of the mentally challenged children in the undivided Dakshina Kannada District. As the number of such children ran into hundreds, the Catholic Sabha realised the gravity of the problem and decided to have an integrated rehabilitation and training centre for the mentally challenged children. In order to coordinate the work of the project a trust was formed with Dr. Edward Lobo as the Managing trustee. After five years of relentless efforts, the Catholic Sabha acquired two acres of land near the Pamboor church in Padubelle from the government and the foundation of the project of ‘Manasa Rehabilitation and Training Centre for Mentally Retarded Children” at the estimated cost of 75 lakhs of rupees was laid by the then Bishop of Mangalore Dr. Basil D’Souza on 14th June 1995 and after the completion of the building it was inaugurated by Bishop, Dr. Aloysius Paul D’Souza on 14 November 1997.

 

 

Besides normal education, the Manasa Rehabilitation and Training Centre has been providing vocational training  to the mentally challenged children and young boys and girls between the age of seven and twenty years irrespective of caste and religion  in various trades and crafts such as book-binding, preparation of candles, chalk, phenyl, soap, envelopes, etc.  Within a short period, Manasa was recognised as an important centre for the rehabilitation and training of the mentally challenged and the institution received State Award on 14 November 2002 for its service in the field of child welfare. Dr. Edward Lobo served as the Managing Trustee of the Manasa Rehabilitation and Training Centre between 1995 and 2004 and since then he has been rendering his service to Manasa as one of its trustees and joint secretary.

 

Dr. Edward Lobo has been immensely inspired by Blessed Mother Teresa of whom he became an ardent admirer and devotee. In his social service, he kept Mother Teresa as his model. Dr. Edward Lobo had an opportunity to meet and interact with Mother Teresa when she had visited Mangalore in 1995.

 

 

In recognition of the selfless social service of Dr. Edward Lobo he was conferred with a number of awards. The chief among them were:  Paul Harris Fellow Award from Rotary International (USA) in the field of social work especially for the downtrodden people in 2001; State award for service to the Disabled, Mentally Challenged Children in December 2002; National Award for Service in the Field of  Child Development in 2003; ‘Swarna Karnataka-Sanskritika Dibbana’  Award received from Dr. V.S. Acharya, Minister for Medical Studies for his medical and social service in 2006; Mother Teresa Excellence Award in 2007 in recognition of his outstanding service to society and excellence in the chosen field of activity by the International Integrity Peace and friendship Society, Bangalore;  Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award for his 37 years of service in the field of medical and social service by the International Integrity Peace and friendship Society, Bangalore in 2007; and Swamy Vivekananda National Samaja Ratna Award for Medical and Social Service Activities in December 2007. Besides these prestigious awards, Dr. Edward Lobo has been honoured and felicitated by various institutions and organisation of different places within Dakshina Kannada and Udupi Districts.

 

 

Among these above awards, a special mention can be made about the National Award for Service in the field of Child Development that was announced on 14 November 2002 and was awarded on 14 November 2003 to Dr. Edward Lobo. This prestigious award was instituted in 1979 and till 2003 sixty four individuals had received this award out of whom only five were from Karnataka, Dr. Edward Lobo being the fifth one. Dr. Edward Lobo was the fourth Christian and only the lay-man till then to receive this prestigious award, the other recipients being one priest-Fr. Palcido Fonseca, Director of Sneha Sadan, Chakala, Andheri, Mumbai and two nuns-Sr. Thannimootil, Secretary of St. Francis Orphanage and Social Welfare Centre, Shillong, Meghalaya and Sr. Philomena S. Sangam, Director of Jyothi Sroat School for the Blind, Shillong, Meghalaya. Thus, till 2003, Dr. Edward Lobo was the first Christian lay man in the entire country to receive this prestigious award. The award was presented by the then Union Minister for Human Resource and Development-Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi.

 

 

In spite of the recognition, accolades, awards and honours, Dr. Edward Lobo lives a simple life and continues whole heartedly his medical service. He regularly visits and treats the inmates of the ‘Home of Faith Orphanage’ at Shankerpura and has been associated with a number of institutions and organizations as trustee and office bearer. He has been a resource person at various seminars and workshops. Dr. Edward Lobo had travelled many times extensively in Europe, USA, Mexico, Canada and Gulf countries.

 

Dr. Edward Lobo as a student had a flair of writing in Konkani. He had written two Konkani novels: “Phul Bavthana” and “Sandullem Dirvem”. A number of his articles, especially related to medical subject have been published in Konkani weeklies such as ‘Rakno’ and ‘Poinnari’. He was   interviewed by the Mangalore Branch of the All India Radio and was asked to give talk on “How to train mentally challenged children?.”

 

In spite of his being involved in medical profession, social service through various forums and parish activities, Dr. Edward Lobo has been a family man. He married Daphne D’Souza from Belman in 1972. After working for many years in the banking sector, Mrs. Daphne Lobo has recently retired from the Syndicate Bank as Assistant Manager.

 

 

Dr. Edward Lobo and Mrs. Daphne Lobo are proud parents of four children, three daughters and a son.  All the children have been well educated and have settled down with their own families in different parts of the world. Dimple married with Arun Sequeira, Borivli,  Mumbai and has settled down in Toronto, Canada with her family; Edle married with Ranjit Lobo Prabhu, Bandra,   Mumbai and settled down in Boston, USA; Reynal married with Ryan Valdeiro from Bandra,Mumbai and settled in Dubai and Errol married Kenia  Romo from Chihuahua Mexico and settled in Edminton, Canada.

 

 

In spite of the long tenure of his medical profession and social and parish activities, Dr. Edward Lobo exudes with energy and enthusiasm.  He meticulously attends his dispensary and treats his patients with care. He is still passionate about social service and says that his dream of helping the poor and the needy through the inspiration of Blessed Mother Teresa still continues. He has maintained his health with discipline, control of diet and exercise. He is quite enthusiastic about his work and says that there is still a lot that is required to be done and renders his service to different institutions and organisations without expecting anything in return. 

 

This attitude of Dr. Edward Lobo manifests  that  though medical practice is his profession, social service has been his passion.