Uttarakhand doctor credits blessings of patients for his Padma Shri award

Born on August 31, 1956, Sanjay settled in Dehradun over two decades ago after his training as an orthopaedic surgeon at Chandigarh’s Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research

Published on: Jan 26, 2021, 13:47:22 IST

By Neeraj Santoshi

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Moved by the sufferings of road accident victims, Dehradun-based orthopaedic and spine surgeon Bhupendra Kumar Singh Sanjay began an awareness campaign in 2002 through radio, TV, print media and public lectures to promote road traffic safety. He has organised 225 free health camps and made it to India Book of Records in 2017. Sanjay said his focus has been to decrease disabilities through free camps and free consultations to the poor every second Saturday of a month. Sanjay credits the blessings of the people, especially children, whom he has treated, for his nomination for the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award.

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Sanjay, who headed the orthopaedics department at Dehradun’s Jolly Grant Medical College before founding Sanjay Orthopaedic, Spine & Maternity Centre in 2008, said he is overwhelmed by the honour. He added he is committed to decreasing disabilities due to cerebral palsy among children and developing innovative procedures to save the limbs.

He said he removed the largest bone tumour of the femur weighing 16.5 kg from a 35-year-old patient. “This record featured in Guinness Book World Records in 2005. My name has also featured in Limca Book of Records in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2009 for different innovative and successful surgical achievements, like hip replacement surgery on a 98-year- old high-risk patient, re-implantation of autoclaved [steam sterilized] tumour bone to save the limb and life of a teenager girl suffering from bone cancer.”

Born on August 31, 1956, Sanjay settled in Dehradun over two decades ago after his training as an orthopaedic surgeon at Chandigarh’s Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research. Sanjay said he has been awarded several fellowships including that of the Swedish government in 1986. He is a recipient of awards like Uttarakhand Ratna (2002). Sanjay is also a fellow of the International Medical Sciences Academy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

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