WARM tributes have been paid to a respected and well-known GP who passed away last month.

Friends and family have said a fond farewell to Doctor Wing Kwong Paul Tam, who died on April 16 aged 88.

The dedicated physician, who worked at Greenock Health Centre, spent almost four decades serving the local community as a GP.

Doctor Tam was originally from Hong Kong and was born into a family of medicinal merchants.

After obtaining an initial degree in medicine from Peking University, he travelled to the UK in the early 1960s to learn English and attended ABC classes in London.

His determination to become a doctor brought him to enrol in Glasgow University, where he obtained a second degree in medicine.

Greenock Telegraph: Doctor W K Paul Tam tribute

Doctor Tam was offered a permanent post as a GP at the Greenock Health Centre in 1973 after graduating from Glasgow and soon set up a home in Greenock at Octavia Terrace.

The year before, in 1972, Paul had married his wide Claudine and the couple went on to have two sons, Philip and Leonard.

Philip would go on to follow in his father’s footsteps and now works in the medical field in Sydney.

He said: “My dad’s empathic, easy yet always professional attitude were traits that inspired me to follow in his footsteps into a medical career.”

After settling down in Greenock, Paul expanded his medical services and became a pioneering and in-demand acupuncturist.

He also joined the Greenock Club, a social club for local men, where he quickly found a circle of friends.

Paul’s son Leonard said his father remained friends with many of the people he met through the club throughout his life and never forgot the warm welcome the people of Greenock had given him.

Paul moved to Skelmorlie in the late 1990s, and later to Largs, and continued to work at the Greenock Health Centre until his retirement in 2010 aged 75.

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Despite his official retirement, Paul continued to see a number of patients to provide them with specialist acupunctural treatment.

Several former patients have spoken of Doctor Tam's kindness and willingness to go the extra mile to help them. 

Joe Docherty, who was the last patient Paul treated before his passing, added: “He had a great rapport with the local community.

“All ages, from my mum to my nephew knew and liked him very much.

“He must have been the first person in Scotland, if not the UK, to practise acupuncture, which eased the symptoms of many where traditional methods had failed.”

Doctor Tam's son Leonard told the Tele his father had been a kind and hardworking man who did all he could for his patients.

He said: “He was committed to helping people and was always willing to give up his time for his patients.

“He was very dedicated and reliable; someone you could always depend on.

“Always in good spirits and always there with a smile."

Doctor Wing Kwong Paul Tam was born on November 25 1934 and died on April 16 2023.

He is survived by his wife Claudine and his two sons, Philip and Leonard.