Two Mumbai based Parsi doctors are set to receive Pakistan highest civilian honour, the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, nearly eight decades after they treated Muhammad Ali Jinnah before Partition. The award will be given posthumously, with the ceremony scheduled for March 2027. The two doctors are Dr. Jal Ratanji Patel, a physician, and Dr. Jal Dhaybho-Koo, a radiologist. In 1946, they examined Jinnah x-ray and diagnosed him with advanced tuberculosis. At that time, Jinnah was the founder and leading figure of the Muslim League.
According to historical accounts, the doctors understood that Jinnah health was seriously affected and believed he may have had only a limited time to live. However, they kept his medical condition confidential and continued to follow professional medical ethics.
Pakistan Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal, who heads the country awards committee, announced the nominations. He described the doctors decision to protect Jinnah medical information as a significant act of professional confidentiality.
The secrecy around Jinnah health has historical importance because his illness was not widely known during the crucial period before Partition. According to accounts cited by Iqbal, former Viceroy Lord Mountbatten later suggested that knowing about Jinnah serious illness could have affected decisions around the timing of Partition. The posthumous honour has now brought the two Mumbai doctors back into public discussion, highlighting their professional conduct during one of the most important periods in South Asian history.
