Hoosen Mahomed Coovadia was born in Durban,
South Africa, on 2 August 1940. His grandparents had emigrated from
India to South Africa in the 1880s. Coovadia attended St. Anthony's, a
Catholic school, and later
Sastri College, a high school. Coovadia was involved in the leadership of the
United Democratic Front (UDF) in the 1970s. He became chairman of the Commission on Maternal and Child Health, created by the Mandela government. He served on the executive of the National Medical and Dental Association (NAMDA), formed in 1982. In the 1980s, Coovadia focused on issues of
malnutrition and
childhood diseases, but then expanded his focus to include AIDS, particularly
mother-to-child transmission. He was a vocal critic of the AIDS policies of
Thabo Mbeki's government and campaigned actively for the use of
antiretroviral therapy. In 2000, he was co-chair of the
International AIDS Conference in Durban. After Professor Coovadia's death, President
Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa said, “Our nation’s loss will be felt globally, but we can take pride at and comfort from the emergence of a giant of science and an icon of compassion and resilience from our country.” Professor Coovadia mentored a number of notable students including Professor
Salim Abdool Karim, Professor
Quarraisha Abdool Karim and the Fulbright Scholar
Anand Reddi. Dr. Coovadia died on 4 October 2023 at his home in Durban after a period of declining health. == Awards and honors ==