Islamabad: Dr Pramila Lall, a Kerala-born Christian doctor who devoted more than six decades of her life to serving patients in the historic town of Taxila, has passed away, bringing to an end an extraordinary chapter of selfless medical service in Pakistan.
Her funeral prayers were offered at the Convention Hall Church of the Christian Hospital Taxila, the institution where she spent most of her professional life treating generations of patients, many of them poor and underserved. Doctors, hospital staff, church members and local residents attended the last rites to pay tribute to a physician widely regarded as a quiet pillar of healthcare in the region.
Born in 1932 in the Indian state of Kerala, Dr Pramila Lall completed her medical education at the Christian Medical College, Madras, where she enrolled at the age of 17. During her studies, she met her future husband, Dr Ernest Lall, a Pakistani Christian medical student. The couple married in 1957, after which Dr Pramila moved to Pakistan and made it her permanent home.
She went on to become Pakistan’s first female eye surgeon and is credited with performing eye surgeries on nearly half a million patients over her lifetime. For countless men, women and children suffering from preventable blindness, she became a source of restored sight and dignity.
In addition to ophthalmology, Dr Lall expanded her clinical expertise by obtaining a diploma in dermatology from the United Kingdom in 1964, enabling her to treat a wide range of skin and eye conditions at a time when specialist care was scarce in the region.
Despite being Indian-born, she chose to remain in Pakistan even during the wars of 1965 and 1971, when she faced difficulties because of her nationality. Colleagues recall that she never considered leaving Taxila, insisting that her duty was to her patients and the hospital she served.
Dr Lall continued her medical work for more than sixty years. Even after the death of her husband, she remained actively involved in clinical care at the Christian Hospital Taxila and later focused on mentoring young doctors so that the mission of service could continue.
Her contributions earned her national and international recognition. In 1987, she was honoured as an international member of the American Dermatologists Association. In 2002, the Government of Pakistan awarded her the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in recognition of her outstanding services to the medical profession, an honour that was celebrated across Taxila as a collective achievement.
Those who worked with her describe Dr Pramila Lall as a deeply compassionate physician who treated patients without discrimination, often placing service above financial considerations. For many families, she was not just a doctor but a trusted presence through illness, recovery and loss.
With her passing, Pakistan has lost a rare example of lifelong dedication, humility and quiet excellence in medicine, while the people of Taxila have lost a doctor whose work shaped healthcare in the town for generations.