Forensic medicine pioneer passes away

PESHAWAR: Prof Inayatur Rahman Khalil, the trailblazer of forensic medicine in Pakistan and the inaugural supervisor of the College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPSP) in forensic medicine, passed away on Tuesday after a brief illness and he was laid to rest in his native graveyard in Pishtakhara Payan on Wednesday.

A large number of people from various walks of life, including many doctors and his former students, attended the funeral prayer of Prof Inayatur Rahman Khalil.He was the father of Dr Mohammad Khalil, a foreign-qualified paediatrician known for his ethical practice in the province.

Prof Inayatur Rahman Khalil was regarded as the pioneer of forensic medicine in Pakistan and became the first supervisor of forensic medicine at CPSP in the country. He had joined Khyber Medical College (KMC) and established the department of forensic medicine at the college.

Prof Inayatur Rahman Khalil had thousands of students and trained hundreds of postgraduates across Pakistan.Prof Akhtar Sherin of Khyber Medical University (KMU), one of his many students, paid tribute to the late Prof Inayatur Rahman Khalil, stating that he had shaped the field of forensic medicine and inspired many others to join it.

“He was a brilliant teacher, a compassionate human being, and a distinguished general physician,” remarked Prof Akhtar Sherin.

Prof Inayatur Rahman was known as the doctor of the poor. Decades ago, when he completed his medical education, his father asked him about his future desires. The late professor told him that all his classmates had opened private clinics in the city and started charging each patient Rs50.

His father expressed disappointment, emphasizing that he had not made him a doctor to make money but to serve the poor patients of rural areas.

The father did not allow him to set up a clinic in the city and instead built him a small building in Customs Chowk in Pishtakhara, instructing him to sit there. Prof Inayatur Rahman Khalil started his clinic there, charging each patient Rs2 or five rupees when his colleagues were getting Rs50 as consultation fee.