Ossie Fernando

Oswald Fernando

1963–present

Ossie Fernando was born in Colombo, Ceylon. He trained as a medical doctor at the Faculty of Medicine in Colombo and, after graduating, became a health professional. Despite Fernando’s skills and interests in surgery, the Ministry of Health denied his request to specialize in surgery, rather wanting him to work in anaesthetics where his skills were seen as more important. In response, Fernando resigned and in 1963 left with his wife and children for the UK, where medical training and employment in the NHS were highly accessible.

In 1968 he began working at the Royal Free Hospital in London and helped develop the hospital’s kidney transplant programme, now one of the largest kidney transplant centres in the UK. His earliest responsibilities included locating and removing kidneys for transplant by going to local hospitals where potential donors had recently died. Along with Professor John Moorhead, the Royal Free Hospital’s first nephrologist, Fernando performed transplant surgeries and pioneered new ways of improving success rates.

Fernando worked as an NHS surgeon until his retirement. His son, Bimbi Fernando, also became a transplant surgeon. In July 2021 Fernando made headlines after his son Bimbi performed a transplant operation on Yvette who, in 1977 at age 10, underwent a life-saving kidney transplant which was carried out by Fernando.