Legacy Garden dedicated in doctor’s honor | Palatka Daily News, Palatka, Florida

Putnam Community Medical Center board Chairman Karl Flagg faces a sign marking the Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad Legacy Garden near the hospital’s main entrance.
A sign in the Legacy Garden notes Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad’s service to the community.
Leah Berry, Ahmad’s youngest daughter, becomes emotional as she talks about her father Tuesday during the dedication of the garden in his honor.
Positively Putnam FL

Leah Berry remembers growing up in Palatka and people recognizing her as one of Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad’s daughters.

“I couldn’t go to Publix without people stopping me, going, ‘Are you Dr. Ahmad’s daughter? Which one are you?’” Berry said. “This place is always so welcoming. The sense of community here is something I’ll always remember.”

Putnam County will also remember Ahmad’s service to the community.

Putnam Community Medical Center dedicated the Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad Legacy Garden on Tuesday in recognition of his medical service and care for Putnam County residents for 45 years.

“He could have gone anywhere in the world to practice medicine,” hospital board Chairman Karl Flagg said of Ahmad. “He came to Palatka with a purpose, on purpose and for a purpose.”

Ahmad, an immigrant from Pakistan who opened his Palatka practice in 1973, died last July at 83. Several family members, including his widow, attended Tuesday’s dedication of the Legacy Garden along with hospital board members and employees and dozens of former patients and other residents.

The garden is to the left of the hospital’s main entrance. A sign surrounded by flowers in the garden details Ahmad’s service to the community as a physician and as a leader with the Rotary Club of Palatka.

“My dad would have been so thrilled and I’m just sorry he’s not here to see this,” said Berry, who lives in California. “He knew about it, which was great. We wanted to make this not to be a memorial, but really a celebration of his accomplishments in a place he loved so much.”

Flagg worked as a respiratory technician at the hospital in the 1980s and saw Ahmad’s interactions with his patients. Flagg said Tuesday that “nobody was insignificant and everybody was somebody” to Ahmad.

Flagg opened the dedication ceremony by having those attending say Ahmad’s motto along with him: “I treat, God cures.”

“Dr. Ahmad lived his oath,” Flagg said. “We’re gathered here to celebrate the life and legacy of one who loved us and one who we loved. Dr. Ahmad has certainly been a mentor, a friend and an individual who has gone above and beyond the call of duty.

“And although we miss his physical presence, he has an eternal presence in every one of our hearts.”

Putnam Community CEO Mark Dooley said Tuesday’s dedication was a wonderful way to recognize Ahmad’s service to the hospital and community.

“I’ve been in and around hospitals for nearly 30 years,” Dooley said. “Very, very rarely do you come across a person so universally respected as Dr. Ahmad. For the short time that I worked with Dr. Ahmad, he created a lasting impression upon me as I know he did with everybody he came in contact with.”

Flagg said Ahmad lived the Rotary Club’s principal motto of service above self to the fullest extent.

“Let me verify, certify and clarify that Dr. Ahmad’s living has not been in vain,” Flagg said. “His legacy will live on, not just in the garden, but in the hearts and souls of those who loved him most.”