The go-getter who is no stranger to the world of medicine In this current issue, Grazia’s Front Cover Creative Director – Kaniz Ali creatively styles and interviews world renowned Dr Amir Khan. Highly known for featuring on TV shows some of which include:-GP’s Behind Closed Doors, Good Morning Britain, Loose Men and The Lorraine Show, Amir continues to amaze us with his incredible success.
Grazia: What inspired you to head into the world of medicine?
Dr. Amir Khan: I wish I was one of those people who always wanted to be a doctor, or had a fabulous story of how their life was saved by a doctor and they wanted to grow up and be just like them. But sadly, I don’t. Neither of my parents were doctors and we had no doctors in my family at the time, but I knew I wanted to work with people as I love talking and I love asking questions as I am quite nosey. Plus, I was good at science – so I applied to do medicine because it means you can ask a lot of questions about people and their health and apply science to help them, and nobody thinks you are being nosey!
Grazia: You became a GP, what led you to head into the general
practice route?
Dr. Amir Khan: I love being a GP, its hard work and I often go home exhausted but it is worth it. I have worked at the same practice for over 12 years and I know my patients really well. I have seen families grow and have helped some of my patients through some really difficult times. I like the fact that I have no idea what is going to walk through my door each day, every ten minutes a new patient comes in – it could be a baby or an older person and every day is different.
Grazia: What is the best advice you can give to someone who would be considering medicine as a career option?
Dr. Amir Khan: If you are considering medicine, make sure you are doing it for the right reasons: to care for people. Try get some work experience in a care home or residential home, where you really get some hands on experience of caring for vulnerable people. This is the most important aspect of the job.
Grazia: Talk to us about future goals and aspirations
Dr. Amir Khan: My main job will always be as an NHS doctor, I have no plans to change that. But I like to do other things too. I want to write more books and do more television shows, perhaps something about nature because I love wildlife. I just need to find more time in my day to fit all of these things in!
Grazia: You have achieved an incredible amount at a young age of 37, what would you say has been your highlight and most memorable achievement?
Dr. Amir Khan: My most memorable achievements are the students I teach and watching them graduate. I love training GPs, putting in the work to ensure they come out as caring and understanding doctors, watching them pass exams and go on to be fully qualified GPs across the country makes me feel like a proud Dad.
Grazia: We have the pleasure of watching you on television on the Lorraine Show + Good Morning Britain. You are also the panellist for Loose Men. How did that come about ?
Dr. Amir Khan: Although I love doing television, I never set out to do it. We had a reality TV show called GPs Behind Closed Doors come to our surgery and film us all seeing patients. The producers of the show really liked how I interacted with my patients and offered me other television shows, which I agreed to. The ITV rang me up and asked if I wanted to join their daytime team on Good Morning Britain, Lorraine and Loose Men – it was scary at first but now I Iove it. I get to meet people that I would never have met before and do things that I never thought possible. I also get to give out health messages to a wider audience which is important to me.
Grazia: You are also on Channel 5’s On The Farm! Tell us more …
Dr. Amir Khan: I have done Channel 5 On the Farm for a couple of years now. It is live television show which is based on a farm in Yorkshire, which isn’t far from me. It is a show about farming and wildlife. What is important to me is talking about how farming and wildlife can go together – we don’t have to destroy wild habitats to make way for cows and sheep, our wildlife and our farmyard animals can live side by side. We just need to stop using so many chemicals and leave a little bit of space for the wild animals of this world.
Grazia: What are your favourite holiday destinations and why ?
Dr. Amir Khan: My absolute favourite place to visit is the Maldives – they are breath taking. The white sands and clear blue waters are like nowhere else. I love swimming in the sea and snorkelling so I can see all the fish. We went diving out there and saw shark and octopus which was amazing. It just highlights how if we look after our planet, and keep our seas and rivers clean how much wildlife there is out there to enjoy. My favourite city is Paris – I love going there, eating ridiculously expensive French food and wearing outrageous clothes. You can wear whatever you want and nobody cares, because it is Paris – the fashion capital of the world. I could actually live in one of the patisseries there, the cakes and pastries are on whole other level!
Grazia: You are a senior lecturer at The University of Leeds School of Medicine & The University of Bradford. What inspired you to head into teaching ?
Dr. Amir Khan: Teaching is one of my favourite things to do. I saw so many examples of bad doctors when I was a junior. Doctors who couldn’t communicate well with patients or were not sensitive enough when breaking bad news. Teaching and training the future generation of doctors ensures I can help reduce the risk of that happening to patients again, we can teach sensitive communication and clinical skills so that patients have a good experience every time they visit the doctors.
Grazia: 2023 marks Dr Amir Khan in the NHS, an incredible achievement! What is the best advice you could give to anyone to reach that milestone ?
Dr. Amir Khan: This year will be my 20th year working in the NHS. I get lots of offers to come and work for private health companies but I always decline. I love the NHS – I love the fact that you can be any age, any gender, any sex, any colour, rich or poor and the NHS will treat you free of charge at the point of need. We need to protect our NHS because it is under a lot pressure right now, support the staff and ensure healthcare free at the point of need continues.
Grazia: You recently raised a whooping £25,000 for Disasters Emergency Appeal by performing a live stand up comedy show. What inspired you to do something out of your comfort zone ?
Dr. Amir Khan: I knew the minute I saw those poor people in Turkey and Syria who had suffered as a result of the earthquake, I had to do something to help. Raising money seemed like the right thing to do. God has blessed me with so many things, it is only right I give back in whatever way I can. Doing some live shows where people could pay to come and see me perform and ask me questions was the quickest way to raise money. I wrote the show myself and had some really helpful people in the background who organised the theatres and technical stuff, it came together in a very short period of time, but people really enjoyed it. It was one of the scariest things I have ever done, and I am not sure I would do it again, but the money raised was worth it.
Grazia: We are so excited!! Your 3rd publication comes out this September 2023 called “How Not To Have An Arranged Marriage” – What inspired your write this book ?
Dr. Amir Khan: I am really excited about this. I think it may be my best piece of work yet. Growing up in England, I was always asked “Are you going to have an arranged marriage,” by people who didn’t understand what an arranged marriage was, and I felt myself having to explain how it all works. I saw some of my friends and family go through them, and the process is o complicated and delicate. There are so many people involved, I though it would make a great story. Plus you can’t beat a Pakistani wedding and there are two in the book! The book follows three people through the arranged marriage process, it works out well for some of them but not all. The stars of the book though are the parents and what they will go through to get their children the perfect match!
Grazia: What does Amir like to do in his spare time ?
Dr. Amir Khan: I wish I had more spare time, I am always working. But if I do get some time, I like to spend it at home in the garden. I really enjoy gardening – there is something peaceful about tending to plants, watching the insects and birds and observing the changes in the garden as seasons move. It is quite relaxing in an otherwise very busy life!
Publisher: Zahraa Saifullah
Managing Editor: Saneela Swaleh
Front Cover Creative Director : Kaniz Ali
Photography : Danny Singh
Creative Styling : Kaniz Ali
Editorial Associate: Sibgha Batool at KANIZ Team
Wardrobe / Outfits : Sache by Asif
Assistant : Mehreen Sohail at KANIZ TEAM
Location: Taj 51 Buckingham Gate, London
http://www.tajhotels.com
