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"He went into medicine with a real desire
to help others, not with a view to get rich."
Roy E Barnes
Dr Ira Earle Farrington is the first
certified Bahamian General Surgeon and Consultant Surgeon to the
Princess Margaret Hospital. During his illustrious career,
he made a great contribution to healthcare in The Bahamas,
playing a fundamental role in the introduction of modern medical
and surgical techniques. As Head of Surgery at the
Princess Margaret Hospital for over 20 years, Dr Farrington
performed over 30,000 surgeries in every surgical discipline.
He is also known for his commitment to the poor and
underprivileged.
Born on 10th March, 1927 in Nassau, The
Bahamas, Farrington attended Eastern Primary School and Eastern
Senior School. He later attended the prestigious
Government High School where he received many prizes and served
as Head Boy. After graduating, he worked as a clerk
for a few years until he was awarded the first government
scholarship in 1947.
Farrington wanted to study medicine to help
people after becoming inspired by the doctors and nurses at a
local hospital while receiving medical care for a broken arm.
Driven by this desire, he used his scholarship to fund his
studies at the University of Glasgow where he graduated with a
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) in 1593,
receiving the Hunterian Medal in Anatomy for outstanding
academic achievement. After several years' experience in
surgery, he became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians
and Surgeons of Glasgow (FRCPSG) in 1962.
 The
following year, he returned to The Bahamas where he joined the
Princess Margaret Hospital as the first Bahamian Consultant
Surgeon. As Head of the Department of Surgery, he devoted
his time and knowledge to improving health standards in the
country, as well as to training competent surgeons. He
also served as the first chairman of the Health Professions
Council in The Bahamas.
Dr Farrington received many awards for his
outstanding contribution to the field of Medicine and Surgery
including the Order of the British Empire, Member Class (MBE)
and the Gold Medal for Medicine from the Government of The
Bahamas. He was inducted as an Honorary Fellow of the
Commonwealth of The Bahamas Academy of Medical Sciences.
He received the humanitarian Lady Sassoon Golden Heart Award and
was saluted as "the father of modern surgery and a modern day
good Samaritan."
For over 50 years, Dr Farrington served the
people of The Bahamas by performing the operations even on
patients who could not afford them. In 2007, MedDent
Company Health Center in Nassau named a surgical suite in his
honour. He was also very active in community service as a
member of the Police Services Commission, the St. Michael's
Methodist Church and the Gym Tennis Club. A modest man, he
is highly respected as a role model to the your of The Bahamas
who aim to pursue a career in medicine.
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