A 2000 Padma Shri awardee, proudly called, the -father of nephrology- in India, Dr Kirpal Singh Chugh passed away on Sunday, at the age of 85.
Dr Chugh became the first 'qualified' nephrologist in India in 1961.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Dr Chugh was famously called the father of nephrology in India.
- He was suffering from blood cancer, and died on Sunday at the age of 85.
- He received the Padma Bhushan in 2000 for his contribution in medicine.
Originally from Patti in Tarn Taran (Punjab), Dr Chugh was diagnosed with blood cancer two years ago.
He was a professor emeritus and ex-head of the Nephrology Department at the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh.
A 2000 Padma Shri awardee, the renowned doctor’s creamation will be done tomorrow at the cremation ground in Sector 25 of Chandigarh.
He did his MBBS from Government Medical College in Patiala, aged 23.
In 1958, he wrote his first seminal work, which, according to him, “was type first systematic study in the field of kidney diseases in India”.
Later in 1961, the man became the first “qualified” nephrologist in the country.
Dr Chugh is responsible for separating the discipline of nephrology from general medicine and later for its development into a super-specialty in the country. That’s the reason, he’s famously referred to as the “father of nephrology in India.”
Many among his-produced total 72 DMs (Doctorate in Medicine) in a span of three decades at PGIMER before his retirement in 1992 are today world-famous in the field of nephrology.
Later on, he established the first Department of Nephrology at the PGIMER. He had also started the first nephrology super-specialty training programme.
The International Society of Nephrology once included him amongst the first 50 legends in the field of Nephrology, worldwide.
He was also the first ever Indian to receive the Bywaters Award by the International Society of Nephrology (ISN).
Both of his sons, Dr Sumant Chugh (a nephrologist) and Dr Sumeet Chugh (a cardiologist) are settled in the USA.
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