Retiring Doctor Erases $650k in Debt as Parting Gift to Patients

A retiring doctor from Arkansas gave a generous parting gift to his patients after his 30 years on the job. Last spring, Dr. Omar Atiq closed down his oncology practice. Many patients of his had outstanding balances. Atiq knew that many of them were under heavy financial strain because of the virus. So as a parting gift, the good doctor wiped away the debt for 200 of his patients.

The total debt of $650,000 was taken off the books, and the doctor even made time to send holiday cards. "They're like our extended families -- there's no higher honor than to serve as a physician, if I have been blessed to be able to help a little, then I am glad for it," Atiq says. Atiq founded the Arkansas Cancer Clinic in 1991. He is originally from Pakistan but moved to Arkansas after he completed a fellowship at Manhattan's Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.