No Delhi doc in Padma list this year

Breaking the ‘tradition’ of Delhi doctors bagging Padma awards, the Narendra Modi government has not awarded civilian honours to a single medical practitioner from the National Capital Region this year.

Breaking the long ‘tradition’ of Delhi doctors bagging Padma awards, the Narendra Modi government has not awarded civilian honours to a single medical practitioner from the National Capital Region this year.

The list of Padma awardees for medicine is missing the usual popular names from the elite hospitals of the capital. Not a single doctor from Delhi has made it to the coveted list. (AFP File)

It was a deliberate decision, indicated a source from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

“The list of Padma awardees for medicine is missing the usual popular names from the elite hospitals of the capital. Not a single doctor from Delhi has made it to the coveted list, which usually features many. Doctors of the rich and famous who usually push for their doctor nominees to be awarded, have been given a miss this time,” said a PMO source.

The government claimed that it has awarded the unsung heroes of Indian healthcare system.

The list of awardees include 91-year old Dr. Bhakti Yadav from Indore who has been treating her patients for free over the past seven decades.

Another awardee, Dr. Subrato Das, has been described as the “highway messiah” for setting up Lifeline Foundation in Vadodara which works with existing resources to optimise medical response to road accident victims on highways.

Late Dr. Suniti Solomon has been awarded for her work on HIV/AIDS.