The Late Dr Kelly Kep was farewelled on Thursday at the ANGAU Memorial Provincial Hospital chapel.
The senior specialist physician in internal medicine passed away after a long battle with illness.
The atmosphere at the ANGAU Hospital was significantly different on Thursday morning as the medical fraternity gathered to farewell one of their own.
The Late Dr Kelly Kep passed away on the evening of March 31st at ANGAU – the hospital he called home for two years.
It was obvious he was held in good stead – and high regard – by his colleagues and especially his tribes from Warakamb Valley and Lower Wage in Kandep, Enga Province.
The late Dr Kep, who was described as a brilliant yet humble man, was one of the first medical doctors from his district.
He had practiced medicine for over two decades after graduating from the UPNG School of Medicine and Health Sciences in 1999.
He also graduated with a Master in Medicine in 2019, where he was a top scorer of his batch. His aim was to be PNG’s first endocrinologist – a medical doctor who specialises in diagnosing and treating health conditions related to problems with the body’s hormones.
His close colleague, Dr Solomon Mara, described him as a highly gifted teacher who had the ability to expound and simplify any subject. He inspired them to remain well-informed, telling them that yesterday’s knowledge is obsolete.
“Dr Kep could have chosen a path of fulltime research if he had wanted to,” said Dr Mara.
“He knew everything about conducting a scientific research.”
Dr Mara said his late colleague aimed to be an endocrinologist as he was “so interested in human research”.
“Sadly, his dream of becoming an endocrinologist has been vanquished.”
The Late Dr Kep was both a mother and father to his children when his wife passed a few years ago. He is survived by his parents, nine siblings and five children.
