The Physician to Three Presidents

On 28 November 1953, in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, Mohsin Wali was born to Mehboob Subhani and Alia Wali. He graduated in science from Aligarh Muslim University and went on to earn his MBBS and MD in Medicine from Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College, Kanpur, collecting gold medals and distinctions along the way. Advanced training in geriatric cardiology at the University of Michigan, USA, and fellowships of the American College of Cardiology and the Royal College of Physicians completed his formal preparation.

At the age of thirty-three he was appointed honorary physician to President R. Venkataraman—the youngest doctor ever to serve an Indian President. He later cared for President Shankar Dayal Sharma and, still later, for President Pranab Mukherjee, becoming the only physician in the nation’s history to serve three Presidents of India. Quiet competence and absolute discretion marked those years of service at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Beyond the presidential suite, Dr. Wali pioneered geriatric medicine in India, worked to improve dialysis standards, and practised as Senior Consultant in Medicine and Cardiology at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and other leading institutions in Delhi. He has been an advisor to medical trusts, an honorary consultant to the Armed Forces, and a teacher who trained generations of young doctors. His approach has always combined careful clinical examination with preventive care and a deep respect for the patient.

In 2007 the Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri for his contributions to medicine. Other honours followed: Best Physician awards, the Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award, and recognition as a legend in the field.

Married to Farrukh Naaz and the father of four children, Prof. Mohsin Wali continues to practise and teach in New Delhi. In the consulting rooms where presidents and ordinary citizens alike have sought his care, and in the growing specialty of geriatric cardiology that he helped establish, his lifelong commitment endures: skilled, humble service to the health of the nation.