The Diabetologist Who Shaped a Nation’s Health

Born on 26 September 1936 in Lahore to Sardar Makhan Singh Bajaj, a noted homeopath, Jasbir Singh Bajaj moved with his family to Delhi after Partition. He excelled academically, graduating from Amritsar Medical College in 1958 and completing his MD in Medicine from Punjab University in 1962. As a Commonwealth Scholar he pursued advanced research in endocrinology and diabetes at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School, London, and the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.

He joined the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, in 1966 and rose to become Professor and Head of the Department of Medicine in 1979, a position he held until retirement. A brilliant clinician and teacher, he specialised in endocrinology and diabetes, proposing the classification of malnutrition-related diabetes mellitus that was later incorporated into the WHO’s international classification and came to be known as “Bajaj’s syndrome.” He authored numerous papers and books and mentored generations of physicians.

He served as Honorary Physician to the President of India (1977–1982 and 1987–1992) and as Consultant Physician to the Prime Minister (1991–1996). From 1991 to 1998 he was Member (Health) of the Planning Commission with the rank of Minister of State, helping shape national health policy. He was the first scientist from outside Europe and the USA to be elected President of the International Diabetes Federation (1985–1988) and later its Honorary President for life. He received an honorary Doctorate of Medicine from the Karolinska Institute in 1985 and was a Fellow of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of London and Edinburgh and of the National Academy of Medical Sciences.

One of the rare individuals to receive all three Padma awards—Padma Shri (1981), Padma Bhushan (1982) and Padma Vibhushan (2009)—he was also honoured with the Dr. B.C. Roy National Award.

Padma Vibhushan Professor Jasbir Singh Bajaj passed away on 8 January 2019 and was accorded a state funeral. In the lecture halls of AIIMS, in the clinics where diabetes is managed with greater understanding, and in the health policies that still bear his imprint, his legacy endures—rigorous science, visionary leadership, and a lifelong dedication to the care of those living with diabetes and endocrine disorders.