Legendary Physician, Padma Shri Prof Dr J S Guleria, passes away

Widely regarded as a “doctor’s doctor,” Prof Guleria was the physician colleagues turned to when cases were complex and decisions carried weight. Awarded the Padma Shri in 2003, his influence extended far beyond AIIMS, shaping medical practice and training across the country.

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Early Life and Education

Born in the village of Manjara in Himachal Pradesh, Dr Guleria completed his Doctor of Medicine (MD) from Government Medical College (GMC), Amritsar. Initially joining the civil medical services in Punjab—a permanent job with pension benefits—he made a pivotal decision in 1958 to resign and join the newly established AIIMS in Delhi.

At AIIMS, he was part of the first batch of DM cardiology students. In those early days, AIIMS did not have its own wards, so he and his peers treated patients at Safdarjung Hospital. Dr Guleria admitted the institute’s first patient in December 1958 and later joined the faculty, eventually heading the Department of Medicine and serving as dean.

After retiring from AIIMS in 1987, Dr Guleria helped establish the Department of Medicine at University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS) in East Delhi, mentoring young doctors and building a foundation for the department before moving into private practice at Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research, where he served patients for over 30 years.

Clinical Principles and Teaching

Trained as a general physician with expertise in cardiology, Prof Guleria resisted the pull of over-specialisation. Colleagues said he treated patients as whole individuals, guided by clinical judgement and deep empathy rather than excessive investigations. Dr. Rajeev Kumar, professor of urology at AIIMS, said that he saw people, while today’s doctors see organs and that he could diagnose with minimal investigations.

Prof. Guleria’s empathy was most visible at the bedside. A former patient’s spouse recalled that she was in her final trimester of pregnancy when her husband was diagnosed with advanced spinal tuberculosis. He broke the news gently, reassuring her that if he couldn’t help, God could, and encouraged her to keep the faith. His words felt like a miracle, and she remembered him staying positive, often using humour like a healing balm in difficult moments.

Recalling his teaching style, Prof. Tandon said Prof. Guleria made ward rounds feel more like mentorship than instruction. He would ask one defining question: whether residents had done everything possible and beyond for the patient. If they were unsure, he sent them back to reassess, correcting errors privately. Colleagues remembered him as forgiving but exacting, standing by those who were sincere.

According to TOI, as chair of the AIIMS ethics committee, his priority was unwavering. Prof Tandon added, Would this harm the patient? Only after that assurance would anything else follow. Dr Navin Dang, founder of Dr Dang's Lab, recalled his family trusted no physician but Prof Guleria. "My father took me across the city by bus just to see him," he said, adding, "He never ordered unnecessary tests. His hands made the diagnosis."

Even in his later years, Prof Guleria remained a student of medicine, constantly reading journals and urging younger doctors to stay curious. “Medicine is never-ending,” he often said. “Never hesitate to say, ‘I don’t know.’”

Legacy

Prof Guleria’s greatest legacy lies not only in the countless patients he treated, but in the generations of doctors he trained—many of whom now lead institutions across India. His two sons, both doctors, continue that tradition. 

Reflecting on his father’s childhood, Dr Randeep Guleria recollects, “My father came from a small village called Manjara in Himachal Pradesh. There was no electricity in the village until the late 1970s or early ’80s. He used to walk nearly 5 km every day to go to school, sometimes even crossing a river along the way.”Even in his late 90s, Dr. J.S. Guleria continued to see patients, according to his family, in a testimony of how he continued to do what he loved till he could, reports the Indian Express.

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