Padma Awards 2026 in Medicine: 2 Conferred Padma Bhushan, 13 Receive Padma Shri

This year, two Indian clinicians — Shri Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy and Dr. Nori Dattatreyudu — have been conferred the Padma Bhushan for their distinguished contributions to medicine. The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in India, conferred for distinguished service of a high order, after the Padma Vibhushan and the Bharat Ratna.

Padma Bhushan

1) Shri Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy (Tamil Nadu) is a veteran gastroenterologist, academician, and clinician-teacher with a distinguished medical career spanning over four decades. After completing his MBBS from JJM Medical College, Davangere, in 1972, he went on to earn his MD in General Medicine in 1977 and DM in Gastroenterology in 1981, while concurrently serving as a faculty member, marking the early foundation of his career in medical education. Widely regarded as a teacher par excellence, he has mentored generations of postgraduate and super-specialty students across the country. He played a pivotal role in establishing and strengthening the Department of Gastroenterology at Stanley Medical College, Chennai, contributing significantly to structured postgraduate training in the specialty. A former President of the Indian Society of Gastroenterology, Shri Palaniswamy is currently a senior consultant gastroenterologist at Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, and is widely respected for his contributions to digestive and liver disease management, therapeutic endoscopy, and medical education. Shri Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy had earlier been conferred the Padma Shri in 2007 for his contributions to medicine.

2) Dr. Nori Dattatreyudu (United States) is an Indian-American radiation oncologist who completed his medical education at Kurnool Medical College and pursued postgraduate studies at Osmania Medical College before building a distinguished oncology career in the United States. A globally recognised authority in brachytherapy, Dr. Nori has played a pioneering role in advancing high-dose-rate and remote after-loading brachytherapy techniques, significantly improving precision in the treatment of cancers of the cervix, urinary system, chest, head and neck, while minimising damage to healthy tissues. He has been named among the top doctors in America by his peers, based on evaluations by tens of thousands of oncologists, particularly for his work in treating cancers in women.He received the Padma Shri in 2015 for his services to medicine.

Padma Shri 

In addition to the Padma Bhushan awardees, the Padma Shri has been conferred on several doctors and healthcare professionals for their distinguished service to medicine, recognising contributions across clinical practice, public health, and community care. THese include

1) Dr. Armida Fernandez (Maharashtra), a Goan-origin neonatologist, has been conferred the Padma Shri for her distinguished contributions to the field of medicine. Born into a Goan family from São Mathias, Divar, she completed her MBBS in Hubballi and pursued her postgraduate training at KEM Hospital, Mumbai, before building a long and impactful career in neonatal care in Maharashtra. She is best known for establishing Asia’s first human milk bank in 1989 at Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital and Medical College (Sion Hospital), Mumbai, a pioneering initiative that continues to benefit 3,000–5,000 sick and vulnerable newborns annually, according to hospital data. A former Head of the Department of Neonatology and Dean at the institution, Dr. Fernandez also played a key role in promoting practices such as mother–infant bonding within neonatal intensive care units, and has been deeply involved in breastfeeding advocacy, child nutrition, and maternal health, including long-standing association with UNICEF’s Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, leaving a lasting impact on neonatal care practices across India.

2) Dr. Guduru Venkat Rao (Telangana)- A leading surgical gastroenterologist and clinical pioneer based out of Hyderabad, Dr. Rao is associated with AIG Hospitals & Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, where he has built a formidable record in complex gastrointestinal surgery and advanced endoscopic procedures. With over 12,000 surgeries and 16,000 endoscopies to his credit, he has brought high-end GI surgical care to patients across the region and is credited with introducing natural-orifice surgical techniques, including performing the world’s first transoral endoscopic appendectomy. An alumnus of Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad, he completed his MS in General Surgery at Bangalore Medical College and later specialised in gastrointestinal surgery through advanced training in India and overseas. His work in laparoscopic and minimally invasive gastrointestinal surgery has helped raise standards of care and expand access to specialised treatment for digestive diseases.

3) Shri H. V. Hande (Tamil Nadu) is a veteran physician and public health reformer whose career spans clinical medicine, health governance, and community service. A graduate of Kilpauk Medical College (1950), he began his medical practice in Chennai and later established Hande Hospital, known for providing affordable care to economically weaker sections. He served as Tamil Nadu’s Health Minister from 1980 to 1986, during which he played a key role in strengthening primary healthcare, reducing infant mortality, combating leprosy, and improving public health infrastructure across the state. Notably, during his tenure, Tamil Nadu formally reported India’s first HIV/AIDS case based on findings from Christian Medical College, Vellore, marking a critical moment in the country’s public health response.He was conferred the Dr B. C. Roy Award in 1985 for his contributions to health administration.

4) Dr. Padma Gurmet (Ladakh) has been conferred the Padma Shri for a lifelong contribution to the preservation, promotion, and institutional development of Sowa-Rigpa, the traditional Himalayan system of medicine. A key pioneer behind the formal recognition of Sowa-Rigpa as an Indian system of medicine, Dr Gurmet has played a central role in its systematic development through research, education, and policy engagement. Dr Gurmet is the Founding Director of the National Institute of Sowa-Rigpa (NISR), Leh, an autonomous institute under the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, and is also the founder of the Trans-Himalayan Herbal Garden in Leh–Ladakh, focused on conservation and documentation of medicinal plants

5) Dr. Punniamurthy Natesan (Tamil Nadu) is being conferred the Padma Shri for his pioneering work in scientific ethno-veterinary medicine. Over a career spanning more than four decades, he has integrated Siddha and indigenous livestock knowledge with modern scientific validation, developing and validating hundreds of herbal protocols for animal health. His work has contributed to reducing antibiotic residues in milk, lowering treatment costs for farmers, and strengthening rural livelihoods, helping transform traditional animal healthcare practices into scalable, evidence-based public health solutions.

6) Dr. Suresh Hanagavadi (Karnataka) has been conferred the Padma Shri for his sustained contribution to haemophilia care and patient advocacy. A graduate of JJM Medical College, Davangere, he currently serves as a Professor of Pathology at the institution. Living with severe haemophilia himself, Dr Hanagavadi founded the Karnataka Haemophilia Society and the Karnataka Haemophilia Care and Haematology Research Centre, providing comprehensive diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation services to patients across the state. He also played a key role in national advocacy efforts that led to haemophilia being included under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, and has collaborated with the World Federation of Hemophilia to bring international projects to India.

7) Dr. Vijay Anand Reddy (Telangana) has been conferred the Padma Shri for his contributions to oncology and cancer care. Born in Hyderabad, he completed his MBBS and MD from Osmania Medical College, followed by a DNB in Radiation Oncology from the National Board of Examinations, New Delhi. He currently serves as Director and Senior Consultant Oncologist at Apollo Cancer Hospital, Hyderabad, and has also worked as a consultant ocular oncologist at L. V. Prasad Eye Institute. A former President of the Association of Radiation Oncologists of India and Chairman of the Indian College of Radiation Oncology, Dr Reddy has played a key role in advancing radiation oncology practice and training in India. In 2003, he founded the CURE Foundation to facilitate access to cancer care for underprivileged patients, alongside his sustained involvement in national and international oncology bodies.

8) Dr. Saroj Mandal (West Bengal) has been conferred the Padma Shri for his distinguished contributions to cardiology and heart care. A practising interventional cardiologist with over two decades of clinical experience, Dr. Mandal completed his MBBS from the University of Calcutta, followed by an MD in General Medicine and a DM in Cardiology, solidifying his training in advanced cardiac sciences. He serves as Professor and Unit Head, Department of Cardiology at IPGMER & SSKM Hospital, Kolkata, where he leads clinical services, teaches future cardiologists, and manages complex cardiac interventions. In addition, he is a Senior Consultant Cardiologist at Woodlands Multispeciality Hospital and the Founder and Director of the Krishnaya Institute of Cardiac & Fetal Sciences, institutions known for high-quality cardiac care with a strong focus on underserved populations. Dr. Mandal’s expertise spans cardiac imaging, angioplasty, stenting, and pacemaker implantation, and his work in expanding access to interventional cardiology has had a lasting impact on heart care in eastern India

9) Dr. Shyam Sundar Agrawal (Uttar Pradesh) has been conferred the Padma Shri for his landmark contributions to the treatment and control of kala-azar (visceral leishmaniasis). A senior professor at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Dr Agrawal played a pivotal role in developing a single-dose lipid-based liposomal amphotericin-B therapy, which received recognition from the World Health Organization (WHO) and was subsequently adopted under India’s National Kala-azar Control Programme. He also successfully led clinical trials on multi-drug therapy for kala-azar, including combinations of paromomycin and miltefosine, which have been approved by the WHO and are now being used at the primary healthcare level. Dr Agrawal is further credited with contributing to the development of miltefosine as an effective oral drug and for conducting the first validation of the rK-39 rapid diagnostic strip, which reduced diagnosis time from weeks to minutes, significantly transforming kala-azar management in endemic regions.

10) Shri Kewal Krishan Thakral (Uttar Pradesh), an eminent Ayurvedic surgeon, has been conferred the Padma Shri for his six-decade contribution to Shalya–Shalakya, the surgical disciplines of Ayurveda. Born in 1938, Shri Thakral is credited with pioneering the Karna Vedhan technique for asthma and has authored several books in the field. A former Dean of Kanpur University and Director of Ayurveda and Unani Services, Uttar Pradesh, he has guided doctoral research, served as a research surgeon at the University of California, San Francisco, and led extensive social outreach programmes, including asthma, eye care, and rehabilitation camps.

11) Prof. Rajendra Prasad (Uttar Pradesh), a senior respiratory medicine specialist, has been conferred the Padma Shri for his five decades of contribution to pulmonary care and medical education. He completed his MBBS in 1974 and MD in 1979 from King George’s Medical College, Lucknow (now KGMU), and went on to build a long academic and clinical career at the institution. A pioneering pulmonologist, Prof. Prasad played a key role in advancing tuberculosis and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) care, including the establishment of DOTS centres, and has treated over five lakh patients. During his tenure at KGMU, he introduced video bronchoscopy in 1999 and set up Uttar Pradesh’s first sleep laboratory in 2006. He has supervised around 150 research projects, authored six medical books, and is a recipient of the Dr B. C. Roy Award

12) Ramchandra Godbole and Sunita Godbole (Chhattisgarh) have been conferred the Padma Shri for over 37 years of grassroots healthcare service in the remote tribal regions of Bastar and Abujhmad. An Ayurvedic physician by training, Dr Godbole, along with Sunita Godbole, has taken medical care on foot to villages without roads, electricity, or connectivity. Through their initiative Trust for Health, the couple has provided free treatment, addressed malnutrition, and led health awareness efforts among underserved tribal communities.

13) Dr. Prateek Sharma (United States), an Indian-American gastroenterologist and academic, has been conferred the Padma Shri for his contributions to gastroenterology and advanced endoscopic care. Born in Chandigarh, he completed his MBBS from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in 1991, followed by residency training in internal medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin and a gastroenterology fellowship at the University of Arizona. Dr Sharma is currently a Professor of Medicine at the University of Kansas School of Medicine and serves as President of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), as well as Chair of the ASGE Artificial Intelligence Institute. With over 400 scientific publications, He is internationally recognised for his work in esophageal diseases, GERD, Barrett’s esophagus, and advanced imaging and endoscopic techniques, and has played a leading role in integrating artificial intelligence into gastrointestinal diagnostics and cancer detection.