Well-known both in India and overseas, Rao was born in 1925 in a middle-class agricultural family at Pedamuttevi, a small village in Krishna district. He was conferred the Padma Shree in 2000 for rendering services in the medical field.
Rao served as the first director of Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences, (NIMS) Hyderabad between 1985 and 1990 and contributed to turning NIMS into a super-speciality hospital. Later, he was again appointed as the director of the institute from later between 1997 and 2004, before retiring.
He pursued his MBBS from Andhra Medical College in 1950 after which he went to the US to complete the residency. He served as a professor of radiology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York and finally returned to India in 1985-86. Following the suggestion of the late Chief Minister NT Rama Rao, he started working with NIMS and contributed greatly to converting it into a highly specialised facility. For his contributions to the field of medicine, Rao was conferred Padma Shri in 2000, the fourth highest civilian award by the Government of India. He was also the founder president of the Telugu Association of North America, an umbrella organization for Telugu-speaking people in the United States.
Many famous personalities have extended their condolences at the demise of the great medical personality. TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu posted on social media stating, " The news of the death of famous doctor Kokarla Subbarao Gary shocked me. Subbarao, who came to his homeland at the call of NTR to provide medical services abroad and became the Director of NIMS, Hyderabad, has turned NIMs into a corporate hospital."
Stating that the death of the doctor is an "irrevocable loss", he further added, " Born into a farming family, the death of Kakarla Subbarao, who received the Padma Shri for his outstanding work in the medical field, is a great loss to the medical field. Praying to God for peace for his soul .. I extend my deepest sympathies to their family members."
MLA and Chairman and Managing Director of Basavatarakam Indo-American Cancer Hospital and Research Institute Nandamuri Balakrishna stated Dr Rao was not only an able medical professional but also an educationalist, eminent radiologist, and philanthropist and his compassion and empathy have left marks on thousand of people.
Expressing his fried at the death of the doctor, Dr P. Raghu Ram, Director, KIMS-Ushalakshmi Centre for Breast Diseases, Hyderabad, told
The Hindu that he lost a close family friend. "Dr Rao was my role model, guide and philosopher for over 36 years from the day I joined medical school. When I was in a dilemma, over whether or not to relocate to India in 2007, he was the first person I sought an opinion from. He said people would not like it when you introduce radical changes, and that too at a young age. He advised me to withstand the pressures and stay grounded and fulfil your ambition, as there would be no place on earth sweeter than one's motherland. From that day onwards, over the past 14 years, whenever I needed advice, he was just a phone call away, always supporting and encouraging me," he said.
"It is really sad that he has left us. He hailed from a village in Krishna district here and went on to work for the government and extended yeoman service to the country," said K. Pattabhi Ramaiah, general surgeon, Kamineni Clinic, Vijayawada.
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