Dedicated Pulmonologist, Dr Moti Lall, CCH, is a ‘Special Person’

Feb 13, 2011 News

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“There is a need for camaraderie if there is to be progression in any area of our life. If we don’t work as a team we can’t be successful in our endeavours…”

By Sharmain Cornette

It may not be the most alluring of specialist fields for a medical practitioner today, but for Dr Moti Lall, addressing pulmonary (lung) conditions and diseases has been his area of expertise for just shy of four decades.
In fact that expertise can be considered a relatively scarce commodity in these parts, as most physicians with such valued knowledge opt to render their much needed services overseas in exchange for far more lucrative benefits than can be had here. But he was driven with so much determination to serve the land of his birth, that Dr Lall would not allow himself to be lured away into so-called greener pastures, even though at one time his services were surprisingly being rejected.
You see, it was from a very young age that he had envisaged serving his country in the medical field, an endeavour that escaped his grasp for the first five years after attaining the requisite training. However, today he remains dedicated to his calling, claiming that “it is my desire to continue to give my bit to my country.”
Though of East Indian ancestry, Dr Lall did not have what one would describe as the typical East Indian upbringing. In fact many are surprised to hear the doctor declare himself “a Buxtonian.” Yes, this dedicated pulmonologist grew up in Buxton on the East Coast of Demerara, a village known to be the home of predominantly Afro Guyanese.
The village was just a few years ago regarded as a haven for criminal elements. It had even served as something of a battle zone, as lawmen attempted to root out those who had developed notorious reputations and took refuge in many of the community’s secreted settings.
But that was not the Buxton that Dr Moti Lall remembers. He recalls growing up with boyhood friends the likes of Sydney King, now known as Eusi Kwayana, political activist. In fact, the backdam area of Middle Walk was home to the young Moti, his five siblings and his parents, Suraj and Betty Lall.
Born on the 14th day of January 1942, Moti was the eldest of his siblings and recounted during an interview with this newspaper that he attended Buxton Private School under the tutelage of Stanley A. Gaskin. According to him, Buxton at that time was an area that people along the East Coast of Demerara cherished, and there was abundant evidence of camaraderie existing between people of African and Indan descent.
“Because of this I had an excellent friendship with Afro Guyanese; they were my best friends. I was always in the midst when they had African activities…I was always part and parcel of everything,” Dr Moti Lall fondly reflected.
Having completed his primary education, Moti went on to Queen’s College to complete his secondary education. His Principal was the distinguished Vivian Joseph Sanger-Davies, an Englishman, who would be the first to encourage the young Moti to pursue a career in the field of medicine. After completing seven years of sound secondary education he was awarded a scholarship to study medicine in Havana, Cuba.
“Aside from my Principal, it was Joshua Ramsammy (now deceased), who taught me Zoology, that encouraged me to do medicine, and I have no regrets because it was what I wanted to do.”
But it was in the fourth year of his studies that the young Moti would make what would be the biggest decision of his life – request a transfer to complete his studies at another university.
His request was granted and he was able to complete his medical programme at the Rostock University in Germany. He would go on to complete a post-graduate programme in the area of pulmonary care at the same University, at the beckoning of the late Dr Cheddi Jagan, upon whose recommendation he was granted a post-graduate scholarship.
His studies in Germany saw him gaining an in-depth understanding of tuberculosis, commonly referred to as TB. This disease, he would learn, is manifested as an attack on the lungs, but also has the potential of affecting the central nervous system, the lymphatic system, the circulatory system, bones, joints and even the skin.
He would return to Guyana in 1968 as a fully qualified Pulmonologist or Pulmonary Disease Specialist, thus was proficient in the skill of diagnosing and treating all pulmonary conditions and diseases. With his eyes set on making a difference in the local public health sector, the vibrant young doctor availed himself, but to his disappointment, the political tension of the day would see him being rejected in every area he sought to inject his newly acquired skills. Disillusioned by the unanticipated turn of events, the young doctor would answer the calls of relatives to head to Winnipeg, Canada, where he was immediately offered a position as a Resident Doctor at a reputable hospital. He would stay there for the next five years.
“They recognised my papers and they didn’t hesitate to take me on. So they offered me a job in the Chest Clinic…I was getting top dollar, but somehow I knew that wasn’t for me. I didn’t even try to attain citizenship status,” Dr Moti revealed.
He never forsook Guyana and would return at every chance he could. He even sought to keep abreast of the goings-on in the public health sector. But it was during one of his usual visits that he would learn that there was a vacancy for a Medical Superintendent at the West Demerara Regional Hospital. And there were several persons within the health sector who had expressed interest in having Dr Moti Lall fill the position.
“I was happy, I tell you…I was so happy about that, because that was always my desire…To contribute to Guyana, not just take my skills someplace else. This was what all the studying and training was about.”
It was in 1974, Dr Moti recalled, that he received a letter from the then Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, informing him of the job offer. And there was no delay in responding to that invitation and the severing of his overseas commitment.
He would take up the mantle at the West Demerara Hospital and would remain there until 2001 when he reached the age of retirement. It was in the same year of his appointment that he would meet and marry his lovely wife Chitra, who subsequently bore him three children – two girls and one boy. That same year also saw the doctor commencing a private practice at New Road, Vreed-en-Hoop, a location he continues even today to treat patients from all walks of life with much success.
Dr Moti would become renowned for his priceless contributions to the treatment and diagnosis of pulmonary diseases, and is especially popular for his work in the area of addressing tuberculosis which even today, he considers a major threat to public health.
Over the years he has remained one of the few health professionals that have been working assiduously towards the reduction of TB locally. According to him, Guyana, much like many other countries of the world, was suffering from a TB epidemic from since in the 1900s. Although doctors had recognised the disease and were treating it as best as they could, there was no formal TB programme in place in Guyana at that time, he related. However the first attempt to put together a formal programme was initiated by Dr Joseph Godfrey, a Surgeon General, who was being supported by the British Medical Association.
However, it was during a Town Hall Meeting which was held by Dr Godfrey, in 1907, that the Guyana Chest Society was formed, an organization which was strategically designed to help the health sector’s effort to address the problem of tuberculosis.

Dr Moti Lall is currently President of the Society, a position he has held for several years. The aims and objectives of the Chest Society, he revealed, was and still is to work along with the National TB Programme, and to sensitise the government and the public about the plight of those suffering from the disease. In fact, the Society is geared at emphasising the need for continuous efforts to control the disease.
Dr Moti disclosed that it was in recognition of the fact that the disease was wreaking havoc in Guyana and the Caribbean in the 1960s that the Best Sanitorium was brought into being. That facility, he explained, was developed into the West Demerara Hospital. The operation of the Sanitorium came to an end in the 1980s, and a small treatment programme continued at the Chest Clinic, which was then located at Orange Walk, Georgetown.
Back in the day, the doctor recounted, after being diagnosed with the disease, patients were transported to the Sanitorium which accommodated TB-infected patients exclusively. It was his unrelenting passion to combat the disease that saw him being placed at the helm of the Tuberculosis treatment programme at the West Demerara facility.
But although that facility was closed in 1986, Dr Moti did not letup on his quest to ensure that the scourge of the disease remained suppressed. This led to the opening of the chest clinic at Orange Walk, a facility which is today housed in the compound of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.
Dr Moti has for several years been the President of that operation, keeping a close eye on the incidence of tuberculosis. He has been instrumental in soliciting funding for the local fight against TB, even making petitions at the level of the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) as futuristic plans to fight the disease are derived.
“I have seen this disease and it is a terrible, terrible disease. With the presence of HIV I have seen TB spread, but we have to work together to keep it down. We have to work together if we are to see results…There is a need for camaraderie if there is to be progression in any area of our life. If we don’t work as a team we can’t be successful in our endeavours…,”he asserted.
Although committed to his full-time practice, Dr Moti has remained a Consultant Physician to the public health sector, and as such, has been called upon to review cases from time to time. He has even helped train young doctors within the public health system in the area of pulmonary care, several of whom have opted to migrate, leaving a void in the system.
In recognition of his indomitable efforts to help reduce the scourge of tuberculosis, Dr Moti Lall was awarded the Silver Medal by the Ministry of Health in 1983, while in 1998, he was the recipient of the country’s third highest honour – The Cacique’s Crown of Honour (CCH) – by the Government, for his long and dedicated service in the field of medicine.
Today this true son of the soil is being duly recognised by this publication for remaining steadfast in his quest to keep a public health threat to a manageable proportion. What a special person!

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