FATHER, husband, respected colleague, cherished friend and People’s Progressive Party (PPP) stalwart, Dr. Moti Lall passed away yesterday morning, around 01:15hrs, at his Republic Park, East Bank Demerara home. His daughter Aruna, who spoke with the Guyana Chronicle, said the registered medical practitioner, who was ill for some time, suffered a heart attack. He was 69 years old.
She sadly explained that the family is trying to come to grips with their tragic loss, even in the wake of the knowledge that he was unwell.
“We are trying to cope as best as we can. We are hanging in there like most families who have lost a loved one,” she said.
Meanwhile, the tragic news of the passing of the pulmonologist has also sent shock waves throughout society, as the late doctor was a respected leader in the community, in many regards.
According to the grieving daughter, the family has not yet finalised funeral arrangements for the deceased, who is also survived by his wife, Chitra and two other children.
In recognition of his two decades of service as Chairman of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), the agency issued a statement on the CCH recipient.
“During his tenure as Chairman, Dr. Lall’s leadership was invaluable, as the Board played a significant role in making policy and planning decisions that impacted positively on the advancement of the housing and urban development sector of the country which, by extension, contributed to the success of the housing programme,” the statement read.
The CH&PA acknowledged that Lall was also a distinguished medical practitioner who, faithfully, served his country for four decades as its only pulmonologist and was directly involved in the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis, as well as the training of young doctors in the area of pulmonary care.
The statement went on: “Dr. Lall was also the President of the Guyana Chest Society and former Head of the local TB Programme in Guyana. He was awarded for his outstanding work in his field as recently as May 25, 2011, when the Seventh-Day Adventist Guyana Conference held an award ceremony as part of the quadrennial session activities, in recognition of the impact that his life and professional work had on the citizenry of his beloved Guyana.”

BOOK OF CONDOLENCE
A Book of Condolence was opened at the CH&PA offices, Lot 41 Brickdam and United Nations Place, from 11:00hrs yesterday.
Born on January 14, 1942, Lall was the eldest of his siblings, who all grew up in the village of Buxton, East Coast Demerara.
Having completed his primary education, he went on to Queen’s College (QC) to complete his secondary education under then principal, the distinguished Mr. Vivyan Joseph Sanger-Davies, an Englishman, who would be the first to encourage the young Moti to pursue a career in the field of medicine. On completing seven years of sound secondary education, Moti was awarded a scholarship to study medicine in Havana, Cuba.
In the fourth year of his studies, he requested a transfer to complete his studies at another university. It was granted and he was able to complete his medical programme at the Rostock University in Germany, which saw him gaining an in-depth understanding of tuberculosis, commonly referred to as TB.
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 secured the grant.
After a few years in Canada, he returned to Guyana in 1968, as a fully qualified pulmonologist or pulmonary disease specialist, proficient in the skill of diagnosing and treating all pulmonary conditions and diseases and took up the post of Medical Superintendent at West Demerara Regional Hospital, where he remained until 2001, when he reached the age of retirement.
He became 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 TB.
He was a former President of the Chest Society and was instrumental in the opening of the Chest Clinic in Orange Walk, Georgetown, a facility which is today housed in the compound of Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
He was, for several years, in charge of that clinic and has also 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.
In recognition of his resolute efforts to help reduce the scourge of TB, he was awarded the Silver Medal by the Ministry of Health in 1983 and in 1998, the country’s third highest honour – Cacique Crown of Honour (CCH) – by the Government, for his long and dedicated service in the field of medicine.
He also served as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the Sixth and Seventh Parliaments from November 24, 1992 until February 15, 2001, then, again, in 2005.