Dr. M. Khalilullah (Mohammad / Mohd. Khalilullah) is a pioneering Indian cardiologist who developed the country’s first indigenous pacemaker and played a foundational role in establishing modern cardiology, electrophysiology and interventional techniques in India. He is a former Honorary Physician to the President of India and a recipient of the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Dr. B.C. Roy Award.

Born in pre-independent India, he completed his MBBS in 1960 and MD (Medicine) in 1965 from Government Medical College, Nagpur (Nagpur University). In February 1966 he joined the then-nascent DM Cardiology programme at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, training under Prof. Sujoy B. Roy. During his DM training he designed and developed India’s first indigenous pacemaker—later known as the Khalilullah–Mendez (KM) pacemaker—which was first tested in the animal laboratory and then used clinically. The innovation earned him recognition from the President of India.

After completing his DM in 1969 he briefly set up a cardiology unit at Pune Chest Hospital before joining G.B. Pant Hospital, New Delhi, in 1971. When he arrived the department performed only a handful of cardiac catheterisation studies each week; by the time he retired as Director, Professor and Head of Cardiology in 1995 it was handling more than 25 cases a day.

He introduced clinical electrophysiology in 1975, performed India’s first catheter ablation in 1984, and helped start arrhythmia surgery the same year (among the earliest in Asia). In 1985 he established interventional cardiology in the country, carrying out the first balloon procedures on Indian soil (including balloon mitral valvuloplasty). These advances shifted a large proportion of heart-disease treatment away from open surgery toward less invasive techniques.

Dr. Khalilullah later founded The Heart Centre in Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi, continuing his commitment to high-quality, accessible cardiac care. He has contributed around 400 scientific papers and edited the first Indian textbook of cardiology (published 2012).

The Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri and the Dr. B.C. Roy National Award in 1984, followed by the Padma Bhushan in 1990. He has also received an honorary Doctor of Science and numerous lifetime achievement awards from professional bodies, including the Cardiological Society of India.

Throughout a career spanning more than six decades, Dr. M. Khalilullah combined technical innovation with a strong sense of public service, helping transform cardiology in India from a limited specialty into a field capable of delivering advanced, affordable care to a large population.