Above: Dr Ayman Hassan and his late wife Dr Khulod Maarouf.By Rebecca Fraser and Shaun Inguanzo
A NARRE Warren doctor stabbed to death last week had dedicated her entire life to helping people.
Mother of three Khulod Maarouf, 51, was murdered last Friday night, at a medical centre in Chandler Road, Noble Park where she had worked for the past two years.
Her daughter Nawaar Hassan, 21, this week said her mother had cared deeply for her patients and strived to make a difference in people’s lives.
Dr Maarouf leaves behind two other young daughter’s aged 13 and 14 years and husband Dr Ayman Hassan.
Ms Hassan said her mother had achieved so much, without expecting any recognition or acknowledgement in return.
She said the local community had lost an irreplaceable member.
“She always worked so hard for everyone else,” Ms Hassan said.
“She really enjoyed being a GP and working at that clinic. She said she felt like she was making a difference.
“She always worked so hard. She was so wise, so intelligent and so educated.
“She was so well loved and respected by so many people here,” she said.
The dedicated general practitioner specialised in ophthalmology before migrating from Syria in 1986.
Her daughter said she had worked for seven years to have her medical qualifications recognised in Australia and also did a lot of volunteer work outside of medicine, such as teaching Arabic in her spare time.
Ms Hassan said no words could describe what sort of mother Dr Maarouf was and her close knit family had been overwhelmed by support following her death.
“In the two days afterwards the house was so full of people you could not move.
“The support has been wonderful,” she said.
Dr Hassan described his wife as a wonderful, great woman.
A grieving colleague and close friend Doctor Fouad Dawood fought back tears to reveal he would soldier on and reopen the medical centre this week to help staff move beyond the tragedy.
He said staff felt devastated by the death and many felt they had lost a family member.
“There are no words I can say that can begin to describe her personality,” he said.
“Even though we are not related by blood we here at the practice feel like a family.”
Dr Dawood reflected on Dr Maarouf’s contributions to the practice and said she helped people beyond her doctor’s role.
“She complemented the practice, as soon as she came here she fitted straight in because of her personality,” he said.
A 26-year-old Springvale man who entered the Springvale police station about 30 minutes after Friday night’s attack was later charged with Dr Maarouf’s murder.
Samuel Benjamin appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday and was remanded in custody.
He will now appear on Thursday 12 September for a committal mention.
Dr Maarouf’s funeral will be held on Sunday from 10am to 2pm at the Villa Adriana Function Centre at 525-531 Frankston-Dandenong Rd, Dandenong.
