Doctor Hidar finds the purest of joy in working medical miracles

Feb 08, 2026 News

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By Shermon Hawker

(Kaieteur News) – “For as long as I could remember, I felt a strong urge to offer a hand in engendering physical healing for others…” Those were the deep-seated aspirations of a young lad some years ago; whose empathy for the suffering enveloped him with an unshakable conviction as to his calling.

With persuasions not crafted on whims or impulses, those convictions rose each morning with the punctual sun, and as it settled in the west, so did his mind on the matter. And as though with a nod of approval, the Controller of circumstances gave green light for the noble ambitions of Andre Alexander Hidar, now a medical doctor at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), to materialize.

There is no packaged joyfulness to be had from being at a facility where patients’ screams of anguish rents the atmosphere, or having to witness the most mind-numbing cases which outright challenges the power of medical science, or even where sombre news are heavy-heartedly offloaded to distraught relatives. In such an unpredictable environment, one would have to be inventive in sourcing their professional gratification. Dr. Hidar sourced his from simply saving lives.

To be like his mother

The 31-y-o of No. 2 Village, East Canje Berbice, left his academic footprints at the New Amsterdam Secondary School, the esteemed Bishop’s High School and Queen’s College, and later would ascend to the University of Guyana, School of Medicine, where he successfully graduated and is in his sixth year as a medical practitioner. He is also in the final stages of his Master’s Degree in Public Health.

A relatively shy character, Dr. Hidar gracefully balances that with an outgoing persona, the latter of which is a necessary element as professional who confronts hundreds of individuals every week

The young doctor was dutifully molded by the perseverance of his father, a cane harvester, and the dignified bearings of his mother, a retired head teacher. In his younger years he witnessed many cases of sickness, and would feel a consistent nudge in becoming who he is today by witnessing his mother’s grace and commitment in helping others.

He said “During my childhood there was always someone sick in my home. Mainly, my grandparents, then my parents and uncle… It was always a chronic disease that could’ve been managed with adequate health education. As such I felt the need to equip myself with the necessary knowledge so that I can be in a position to aid. I grew up seeing my mother act as the community doctor. She had a knack for taking care of the sick. Neighbors always visited or called her whenever they were sick. It is her kind and caring nature that propelled me into a medical career.”

TIKTOKER

His passion for sponsoring medical relief is fiercely rivaled by his widely recognized culinary craze, and when not administering injections or stabilizing patients, Dr. Hidar injects time to his TikTok channel, where he gleefully showcase his dexterity with dishes of all descriptions.

Cooking, he acknowledged, serves more than momentarily appeasing the inner rumblings of his stomach or winning for himself popularity by his impressive array of prepared meals. Toiling in the kitchen affords him the luxury of peace, reinforces personal discipline, and maintains structure in his life.

“It’s only recently, maybe for the past two years or so that I’ve really started to heat things up in the kitchen. I enjoy making local dishes and adding a Guyanese flair to meals I’ve encountered in other countries.”

Dr. Hidar is Seventh – day Adventist and also a lover of gospel music. He fancies himself a touring enthusiast. As much as his hassling schedule permits, the doctor capitalizes on every chance to exhale while flying miles across the world, absorbing the picturesque sights and surrendering to the hypnotic flute of nature and everything else that successfully overrides the mundane beep of an EKG.

“I hope to visit every continent and as many countries as I possibly can. My most meaningful travel experience was to Ghana, Africa, earlier this year. The country’s rich history moved me deeply. I visited the slave castles, where I learned about the horrors of slavery, an experience I will never forget. I’ve pledged to do everything in my power to ensure that slavery, or anything resembling it, never reemerges,” Doctor Hidar reflected to this publication.

Moreover, Dr. Hidar is knee-deep in the youth ministries aspect of the local SDA church organization, where he featured in various senior leadership and mentorship posts. His optimistic outlook on the negatively summed “youths of today” remains unchanged.

“There are so many brilliant young minds yearning for guidance, gullible, impressionable souls waiting to be shaped. I’ve taken up the mantle to provide that support and direction.”

NOT FOR THE FAINT-HEARTED

Being a medical doctor is by no measure of the imagination a simple task. The layers of complexity within an operation even for a seasoned physician demands painstaking diligence, as it can be a literal case of life and death. And the workload is massive, as one would imagine. In his novice years, Dr. Hidar had to toughen up.

He explained “The most challenging year of my career and my life was my year as a medical intern. I’m sure every medical intern would agree. During this time, you take on a much more active role in diagnosing and managing patients.”

“You’re expected to study constantly, conduct research, and shoulder much of the team’s follow-up work. There is no room for error when treating a patient because someone’s life truly depends on you. The workload is mentally and physically exhausting, but it teaches resilience and builds capacity. I often tell people if you can get through your year as a medical intern, you can get through anything.”

MEMORIES SURGERY CAN’T REMOVE

The doctor sobered up to some realities of what’s unavoidable and mentally crippling in that line of work: maintaining one’s composure and having to convey grim news to faintly hopeful relatives that their loved ones passed away, or bearing results of a terminal illness to someone. Most harrowing of all, he shared, is seeing a human in the final minutes of their natural life die.

“These moments stay with you. They remind you of the gravity of your responsibility and the human side of medicine,” he expressed.

There is an undeniable lofty aura that swirls about being a doctor. The title bears a stamp of prestige in society, and there are certainly some perks.  Dr. Hidar’s satisfaction transcends these, however, as his greatest kickbacks come from correctly diagnosing a critically ill patient, witnessing and facilitating his or her recuperation, and their ultimate discharge from a medical institution. Such is the truest sense of satisfaction for the competent doctor.

“I vividly remember an experience where I was able to medivac one of my Amerindian patients, who had a terminal illness, back to Region One after she had spent over a month in the hospital. The goal was to ensure she could spend her final days with her family. The thankfulness in her eyes said it all. That moment reminded me that sometimes, healing isn’t about curing, it’s about providing dignity and compassion in the moments that matter most.”

Another endearing experience, he shared, was that of a young patient who, after delivering a baby not long prior, being diagnosed with a terminal illness. The young mother was convinced that her time was up, but the doctor and his team medically maneuvered the situation and were able to bring her back to stability.

“I will never forget the tight hug she gave me or the heartfelt blessings she prayed over my life. It was so genuine and deeply emotional. That day, I was able to reunite a mother with her baby and her family. She moved me to tears, something that had never happened to me in the workplace before.”

IF NOT MEDICINE…

Dr. Hidar’s knack for public presentation makes a fairly compelling argument in his favor even if it was on that premise only that he sought to be an educator. If the avenues for being a medical doctor were barricaded, his very next alternative was to enter the teaching profession, or even stir things quite capably up in the catering business.

“I truly believe I was created to teach or cook. I grew up writing on the blackboard at home and assisting my mother and uncle with teaching afterschool lessons. It never felt tedious. It made me feel accomplished to be helping to mold young minds even while I was a youngling myself. As for the chef bit, cooking brings me so much joy and a sense of euphoria. That would’ve been a career that I would perform with a smile in my heart every day! The versatility it offers when you can bring your twist on a meal contrasts the stern, fixed, routine protocols and procedures required to save a life when you work in healthcare,” he said.

Irrespective of the path he could’ve taken, be it pitching his voice in front of a classroom, or masterfully chopping onions in a kitchen, the undeniable outcome would have been a translation of success for him, having displayed on many occasions that he can ably hold his own in either. In the end, it was the medical profession that reeled him in, and six years on, the lives of hundreds, if not thousands of citizens walking the streets of Guyana have been in one way or another redeemed by the medical benevolence of Dr. Andre Hidar.

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• Andre Alexander Hidar, Doctor Hidar, GPHC, medical miracles

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