he book Game Changer: The Story of Dr Yasmin Amarsi and the Profession of Nursing in Pakistan, written by veteran journalist Kamal Siddiqi, belongs to the genre of biography within the discipline of history. It celebrates and commemorates the life and legacy of iconic nurse Dr Yasmin Amarsi, who, through her lifelong dedication, transformed the nursing profession in both Pakistan and East Africa, as well as public perceptions of the field.

It is the story of a girl who spent her early childhood in Tanzania, excelled as a hardworking student and nurse and rose to become a respected administrator, researcher, mentor and professor at the School of Nursing at the Aga Khan University in Karachi. Her colleagues and mentees describe her as unstoppable, indomitable and engaging – qualities she demonstrated in every role she played, and which continue to inspire those following in her footsteps.

The nursing profession developed alongside the work of Christian missionaries who provided health and education services during the colonial period in India. These missionaries were often perceived by local communities as operating under the auspices of the colonial state, with the underlying aim of promoting religious conversion to various Christian denominations. Mishal Husain notes in her family memoir, Broken Threads: My Family from Empire to Independence (2024), that, by the late 1930s, nursing had “already become an established profession for Anglo-Indian women” – indicating that it was still largely regarded as the domain of European and American missionaries and Anglo-Indian women. This perception began to shift after Independence in 1947.

The first nursing school in Pakistan was established in 1948 in Lahore, as part of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. At that time the country was facing a severe shortage of nurses. The first cohort, comprising seven young women, graduated from the school four years later, in 1952.

That same year, the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre was established in Karachi, under the patronage of Begum Ra’ana Liaqat Ali Khan and Fatima Jinnah. The institution held a special place in Fatima Jinnah’s heart. As a trained dentist herself, she was a strong advocate for women working alongside men in the newly formed country.

It was at this institution that Yasmin Amarsi applied and secured admission. She completed her diploma in nursing in 1972. She married Noorali Amarsi in the same year. In 1980, she returned to the JPMC to receive an award – a full-circle moment in her early career.

As a teacher in the field, Amarsi gained recognition when she joined the nursing school established as part of the Aga Khan Hospital and Medical College in 1980. She played a key role in planning the programme and taught her first class on anatomy and physiology, a subject she had previously taught at the JPMC.

Alongside Rehmat Merchant, she became one of the first faculty members appointed to the newly founded Aga Khan University School of Nursing. In 1998, she succeeded Dr Herberg to become the first local director of the school, a role she approached with determination and vision, committed to elevating the institution to new heights.

After retiring from AKU Pakistan, Amarsi served as the founding dean of the School of Nursing for AKU-East Africa. In recognition of her contributions to nursing education, McMaster University awarded her an honorary Doctorate of Science – yet another feather in her cap.

Game Changer traces the personal, intellectual and professional growth of Yasmin Amarsi – now widely recognised as a leading academic and practitioner of nursing, with a global reach and acclaim spanning South Asia, North America and East Africa.

As a pioneer of the nursing profession in Pakistan, Amarsi left an indelible impact on practitioners, administrators, university educators and researchers. She began her career at a time when the profession in Pakistan was in urgent need of an image overhaul, institutional reform and educational modernisation.

She successfully met these challenges – drawing on the strong support of her family, her professional experience and her deep faith. Amarsi was also able to look beyond the cultural stigmas associated with nursing and remained firmly focused on the core mission: providing the best possible care to those in need.

Through her work at McMaster University in Canada and the University of Arizona in the United States, Yasmin Amarsi helped bridge the gap in nursing education between Pakistan and these internationally recognised institutions. She led by example, becoming a guiding light for students, colleagues and fellow educators, while witnessing, first-hand, the evolution of modern nursing in Pakistan.

Amarsi played a vital role in adapting and integrating global best practices into the local context. Her colleague, Carl G Amrhein, writes that Amarsi had a clear understanding of what to apply and what to adapt, “whether it was curriculum reform, a focus on nursing leadership to influence health policy or the recognition that quality nursing depends on quality nursing research.”

After her retirement, Yasmin Amarsi took on the position of advisor to the chancellor of Ziauddin University in 2020. She was tasked with initiating a PhD programme in nursing – a goal she achieved alongside three colleagues, launching the programme in 2023 with an inaugural cohort of five students.

Amarsi’s career spanned a period of remarkable transformation in the nursing profession, from the time she first chose to become a nurse to the time she stepped down from her official roles. During these decades, the public perception of nursing, especially of female nurses, underwent a significant shift in Pakistan. “There was a time when men did not want to marry nurses, but now in the 21st century, nurses, especially those with higher education, are much sought after because of their work and immigration prospects,” writes Amarsi.

Siddiqi has done a marvellous job in capturing the remarkable journey of a pioneering woman whose contributions have left a lasting mark on the field of nursing. This biography is not only a tribute to Yasmin Amarsi’s life and legacy but also a valuable resource for nurses, doctors, healthcare professionals, medical educators and academics. It offers insights into the evolution of nursing in Pakistan and beyond, serving as both inspiration and guidance for those committed to advancing the profession through compassion, leadership and reform.

Game Changer

The Story of Yasmin

Amarsi and the Profession of Nursing in Pakistan

Author: Kamal Siddiqi

Publisher: The Agha Khan University, Karachi, 2024

Pages: 110

The reviewer heads the Department of History at the University of Sargodha. He has worked as a research fellow at Royal Holloway College, University of London. He may be reached at abrar.zahoor @hotmail.com