DR. ROQUE WISEMAN PINTO
Dr. Maria Fatima Sousa Vas
(Dr. Fatima Menezes Mesquita) Goa’s leading ophthalmologist from Vasco, left for her heavenly abode on April 25, 2026.
Born and raised in Loutolim, she did her schooling in Margao (Fatima Convent) then college at Chowgule College, Margao, before securing admission at the Goa Medical College which was then housed at the Palacio de Maquinezes in Panaji.
When internationally renowned professor A K.Gupta was posted in GMC to start the MS degree, Vas was the first student. Bright, capable, and focused, she joined GMC’s ophthalmology department and carved a niche here in the 1970s and 1980s. She was charismatic, friendly, and liked and admired by all senior professors, teachers, staff, students and patients who came to GMC from all over Goa. She was a teacher par excellence, a gifted surgeon, a doyen in the field. As a senior resident, she became the head of Ophthalmology Department of GMC and the then dean Dr G.J.S. Abraham wrote in the Archives of GMC edited by Dr R.G.Wiseman Pinto, that the weight and credit of the efficient running of the ophthalmology department rested on the slim and capable shoulders of Dr. Vas.
Professor A.K.Gupta and Dr. Vas conducted Goa’s first corneal transplant in GMC on August 21, 1978. The eyes were donated by two freedom fighters – Evagrio George and Mark Fernandes – who died in a tragic accident in front of the Tourist Hostel and Fazenda in Panaji. This was Goa’s first transplant, performed when the facilities and testing was in its infancy. In the quest to further sharpening her ophthalmology skills, Dr. Vas also worked with Dr R.V Rajadakshya, Goa’s leading ophthalmologist.
After her marriage to Dr. Wilfred Menezes Mesquita, she set up practice and a hospital in Vasco da Gama where she continued to be a respected and admired healer. Till the end, she was very focused on her patients and stayed updated on medical advancements in ophthalmology as well as other fields of medicine. Her tribe is rare and difficult to find.
Besides this, she was also very family-oriented and adored her late husband who was the revenue minister in the Government of Goa and her three children Louella, Leon, and Fawia, their spouses and grandchildren. She was very talented and enjoyed tending to her garden and cooking up something new.
Dr. Vas was God’s gift to Goa, GMC, Vasco, her patients, her family, and friends. She leaves behind a large void and big shoes for anyone to fill in. May the Lord bestow on her His grace and peace.
(The writer is professor of pathology, former head of department and former dean, Goa University, and president, South Asian Academy of Cytopathology and Histopathology)
