Bequia born surgeon honoured in the USA

A Vincentian surgeon with more than 48 years of medical practice mainly in the USA, was recently honoured with the St. Luke Lifetime Physician Achievement Award.

Dr Samuel Hazell, who was born on the Grenadine island of Bequia, received the accolade in April, 2024.

The retired general surgeon who practiced at Roper Hospital and Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital, USA, for 30 years, is a 1975 graduate of Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

The award honours the humanitarian spirit of St. Luke, as well as those who embody their mission of “healing all people with compassion, faith and excellence.”

Known as a Renaissance man for reciting poetry and playing the violin, Dr. Hazell is well-loved and respected by teammates and patients. He worked in several hospital throughout the United States before finally settling at Roper Hospital and

Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital when the facility moved to West Ashley in 1996.

In addition to caring for Roper St. Francis Healthcare patients, Dr. Hazell also led many global medical missions in Haiti and throughout the world. During these missions he participated in developing several clinics and provided medical service along with his wife, a registered nurse. Together they served several hundred people in the mountainous regions of Haiti in 1979. Dr Hazell also provided funding for the purchase of properties in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) working through MIA while he served on the Board.

Dr. Hazell continued to maintain a strong interest in his people and dedicated his post-1996 retirement to a vast range of charitable work. He returned to St.

Vincent and the Grenadines in 2010 and spent seven years as a consultant surgeon at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital accepting little to no pay. He provided medical equipment such as the bilirubin machine for the treatment of jaundiced patients. He also was able to obtain a cryostat machine to enable surgeons to make a quick diagnosis for a variety of diseases and medical conditions while surgery was being performed – a first for SVG. Dr Hazell was instrumental in sending a 17 year old patient with a brain tumour for medical attention to the United States which amounted to hundreds of thousands of US Dollars. This included accommodation

for the patient and his mother. He secured funding from the Roper foundation. He deliberately did not develop a private practice in order to give maximum time to patients who needed his service.

Following the 2021 eruption of La Soufriere volcano Dr Hazell provided substantial funds to the Arnos Vale Covenant Assembly (AVCA) ,where he fellowshipped during his time in SVG, to facilitate the church’s efforts in feeding thousands of Vincentians, and rebuilding the homes of those who were displaced by the eruptions. Dr Hazell is a friend of Dr Walford Thompson, who was the one that highlighted the recognition of his friend. The retired General Surgeon also offers scholarships through the Japhath and Silma Scholarship Foundation (his parents) to Vincentian students with an emphasis on the students from Bequia. He also taught at the Trinity Medical School in Ratho Mill.

Dr. Hazell is said to be motivated not only by his desire to fulfil his pledge to the Hippocratic oath, but is also driven by his strong Christian conviction that we must follow the example of Jesus by ministering to the needs of the less fortunate and others in society. On receiving the award, many of his past patients and professional associates expressed congratulations for the achievement of this humble, dedicated professional and servant of God. And, Dr. E. Walford Thompson has joined with others in recognizing and honouring him.