Keeping the legacy of Philanthropist George Subraj alive

Mar 12, 2017 News

By Sharmain Grainger

To many, the word philanthropy has long been associated with the name George Subraj, but the

Deceased: Champion Philanthropist, George Subraj

larger-than-life humanitarian passed away in November last year. Subraj’s abrupt departure at the age of 71 was perhaps at the peak of his philanthropic movement – The Subraj Foundation. Some felt that his death meant the end of the Foundation, which has for years been bringing all sorts of charitable support to Guyana.
George Subraj, a Guyanese by birth, migrated to the United States in 1971, and like many others sought after the American dream – a better life for himself, his wife Gloria and children. It wasn’t easy getting to where he wanted to be, but he remained steadfast even through times of immense struggle to build the Zara Realty Empire with his brothers, Ken Subraj and Jay Sobhraj.
His death saw him leaving behind an outstanding legacy of successful entrepreneurship and philanthropy which his wife and children, Jasmine and Tony, hope to see continued for generations to come. And they have certainly made their intentions very clear.
You see, just last week the two of his four children visited these shores, and they eagerly spoke of continuing the charitable work that their father started many years ago.
Tony Subraj, the youngest, is 39 years old and had accompanied his father on several missions to Guyana in the past. During an interview with this publication, he revealed that it was a natural move to continue the work of his father.
“I think we always knew that we would continue his work…now that dad has passed on, we want to make sure that all of his good work and everything that he invested into the country does not stop. We want the people of Guyana and the Government to know that we are still here to support them for as long as we can,” said a plain-spoken Tony Subraj.
On this occasion, Subraj’s offspring, like their father did on many occasions in the past, came with a team of medical experts, led by renowned Surgeon, Dr. Rahul Jindal of the Walter Reed Medical Centre in Washington D. C.

From left: Jay Narain, Jasmine Subraj, Tony Subraj and Richard Mahase.

The team, which arrived last Tuesday, came bearing 13 corneas ready for transplantation procedures at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). With the support of Consultant Ophthalmologist at the GPHC, Dr. Shailendra Sugrim, the team was able to transplant the corneas to those who needed them the most.
“To our understanding, there is a list of 57 recipients who are in dire need of transplants, so we will continue bringing corneas. This will be coordinated by Dr. Jindal and the Walter Reed Hospital; whatever they continue to supply we will continue to support,” Tony Subraj assured.
Corneal and kidney transplant medical missions were but two of the ventures that George Subraj had started many years ago. He was able to forge partnerships with both the GPHC and the privately-operated Dr. Balwant Singh Hospital to offer these services. The team was also scheduled to conduct at least one kidney transplant at the GPHC this past week.
Tony Subraj has described his visit to Guyana, as part of a medical mission on this occasion, as “a learning curve”.” He however disclosed that, “I believe that dad had communicated with us enough so that we could pick up where he left off, and we know a good number of people here to help us pick up and continue with it”.
He hopes to draw support from his uncle, Jay Sobhraj, who has also been doing a great deal of work here in Guyana.
“We are going to liaise with him and his contacts as well to make sure that we have a smooth transition and our father’s work does not slow down,” Tony Subraj added.
The ambitious young man is anxious to see the day that legislation will be passed to allow Guyana the ability to harvest and store its own corneas.
“This would make things so much easier…we can help to build the infrastructure right here in Guyana and be able to help a lot more people,” said Tony Subraj. He revealed that one of the many visions of the Foundation, too, is to eventually form a Dialysis and Transplant Centre, and he hopes that this will come to fruition in the future.
“We have had discussions with Dr. Kishore Persaud (GPHC’s Head of Nephrology and Dialysis Unit) but of course everything has to be worked out…so it’s still in the infancy stage,” Tony Subraj said.
In considering the magnitude of the work done by her father’s Foundation, Jasmine Subraj noted, “he did invest 20-something odd years and we just don’t want his passing and all the groundwork he has put in to just fade away”.
She, however, did admit that it hasn’t been easy trying to fill the void left by her father. “It has been overwhelming at times, but we have a very good, strong team behind us, that is patient and understanding,” Jasmine Subraj asserted.
Among the members of team backing Subraj’s wife and children are Jay Narain and Richard Mahase. The two ensured that they were part of the team to offer the kind of support to Jasmine and Tony as was offered to their father in the past.
According to Mahase, the most recent visit here was in fact the 24th medical mission of the Foundation, which is likely to be renamed ‘The Subraj Family Foundation’.
Mahase reminded that the contribution of Subraj over the years has been especially outstanding since “he was the single grand sponsor of all of the medical missions. That is not an ordinary financial undertaking…it is vast. So it is absolutely noble that his wife, children and business would like to continue to support this cause. It is a noble cause, in terms of reaching people locally, and even in our previous visits, patients from the Caribbean and Canada have accessed the help that George brought to Guyana.”
The Foundation, according to Mahase, was instrumental in channelling medical tourism to Guyana.
“George wanted medical tourism to grow in Guyana, as such he launched what was the Sevak-Zara health programme…and today his children updated that programme with all the players involved (Dr. Thakor Patel, Dr Jindal and the Sevaks themselves – that is the children and teachers who go out and meet people from the community).”
“So far they have met hundreds of people suffering from some of the most common diseases known to mankind such as diabetes and hypertension and through this programme which was initiated and funded totally by George…Tony and Jasmine have given their assurance to continue work in this area too,” Mahase said.
He pointed out that the aim of the Sevak-Zara health programme was to train teachers and students at some schools to go out into their communities to help identify conditions that warrant lifestyle modifications, to help people across the country improve their health status.
Such ventures, among many others, were introduced by George Subraj, Mahase explained, because “he was a son of the soil and never forgot his roots. He never stopped wanting to give back, and that is what makes him such a phenomenon and such an icon”.
Mahase has issued a challenge for other Guyanese to emulate what George has started. “If there is anything that you can do to help, come forward, because as George always said, ‘God has given us a lot more than we need and we can be able to do something…do good and be good’.”
Adding to Mahase’s reflection of Subraj, Narain underscored that the intent was also to bring help to the masses without charges, a venture that will be continued by the Foundation.
“George has brought the best, and the best is what Gloria, Jasmine and Tony will continue to bring to Guyana through the Foundation. This is what George would have wanted,” said Narain, who worked closely with Subraj for many years.