Dr Nicholas Alexander ‘taught us that medicine is not just science – it is humanity’
Dr Nicholas Alexander was a GP in Hull and set up two nursing homes and a care facility in the region.(Image: Rosetta Binu)
A “deeply compassionate” doctor who dedicated his life to helping others is being remembered for his extraordinary efforts to bring healthcare to as many people as possible. Dr Nicholas Alexander spent decades as GP in Hull, and is said to have cared for more than 6,000 patients during his time as a senior partner at Bransholme Medical Centre.
“To them, he was not simply a GP. He was a steady presence in times of fear, a comforting voice in uncertainty, and often, a friend,” said his nephew, Binu Boniface. “He believed that healthcare should reach everyone – regardless of background or circumstance.”
Dr Alexander was born in 1937 in Kerala, India. He became the first doctor from his hometown to achieve international distinction – an accomplishment that is said to have filled his family and community with pride. He graduated Trivandrum Medical College, where his extraordinary contributions were later honoured with his name placed on a commemorative plaque within its halls.
He came to the UK in 1968 and later set up two nursing homes and care facility in East Yorkshire. He also provided compassionate medical care to inmates at Hull Prison, where his family say he was “guided by his unshakable belief that every human being deserves respect, care and hope”.
Work with the University of Leeds saw him help create training opportunities for undergraduate and postgraduate students – mentoring them in clinical excellence, integrity and empathy. He is said to have become known for his wisdom and kindness.
Nicholas Alexander pictured in the 1990s.(Image: Hull Daily Mail)
Dr Alexander also founded the Malayali Medical Association and the Trivandrum Medical Graduates Association in the UK, building bridges between South Indian medical professionals and the wider global community. It was this work that helped many of his colleagues secure NHS roles.
And in Kollam, in his home state of Kerala, he organised NHS professionals to provide free cleft palate surgeries to underprivileged children. His family said the trips became “powerful acts of healing — not just physically for the children, but emotionally for everyone involved”.
He first tried to retire having worked at Bransholme Health Centre for 27 years, but ended up continuing his work at the former Princess Royal Hospital in east Hull. He “retired” from there in 2006 but continued his working as a locum GP. His dedication was recognised locally by the Catholic Church and as an elected member of the NHS Humberside Advisory Committee, he championed patient rights, GP welfare and systemic improvements to the health service.
Dr Alexander died on February 14, 2026, just two days before his 89th birthday. He is survived by his wife Mercy Alexander and four children: George Alexander, Jofi Alexander, Bindu Cardoza and Nicholas Alexander.
His nephew, Mr Boniface, said: “He was gentle, dignified, endlessly curious, and deeply compassionate. He listened fully. He gave freely. He led without ego. To colleagues, he was a mentor. To patients, a healer. To friends, a source of wisdom and encouragement. And to us, his family, he was our foundation – our quiet strength, and our greatest example of what it means to live with purpose.
“He taught us that medicine is not just science – it is humanity. That leadership is service. That success is measured not by status, but by the lives you lift along the way. Though our hearts ache in his absence, we are comforted by the immeasurable legacy he leaves behind—in the thousands of patients he cared for, the doctors he mentored, the communities he built, and the countless lives he transformed across continents.”
A Hull memorial service for Dr Alexander is in the planning.
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