Published Jan 26, 2026 | 1:38 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 26, 2026 | 3:10 PM
Dr Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy and Guduru Venkat Rao received the Padma Awards. Credit: x.com/DDNewslive, x.com/PIBHyderabad
Synopsis: Six doctors from southern India won Padma awards in 2026 for pioneering medical contributions. Tamil Nadu’s KR Palaniswamy earned the Padma Bhushan for gastroenterology, while HV Hande, Punniamurthy Natesan, Guduru Venkat Rao, Vijay Anand Reddy, and Suresh Hanagavadi received Padma Shri honours. Their work spans cancer care, endoscopic innovation, HIV/AIDS reporting, and haemophilia advocacy, impacting thousands of patients nationwide.
A gastroenterologist who performed over 12,000 surgeries, a 99-year-old physician who still treats patients without charging fees, and a pathologist living with severe haemophilia who founded a society that now provides free medicines to 850 patients stood among six medical professionals from southern India who received Padma awards in 2026.
The government recognised these doctors for work that stretched from pioneering endoscopic techniques to announcing India’s first HIV/AIDS case, from treating 15,000 cancer patients to creating state treatment centres for blood disorders.
Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy walked away with the Padma Bhushan, the higher tier of civilian honours. The senior gastroenterologist at Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, brings 48 years of experience in liver diseases, peptic ulcers, and therapeutic endoscopy to his practice.
Palaniswamy completed his MBBS from JJM Medical College, Davangere in 1972, followed by an MD in general medicine in 1977 and a DM in gastroenterology in 1981 from Madras Medical College. He established the gastroenterology department at Stanley Medical College, Chennai in 1986, serving as its founder professor and head until 2000. The Indian Society of Gastroenterology elected him president from 2004 to 2005, and he now serves as patron of its Tamil Nadu chapter.
HV Hande received the Padma Shri at 99 years old. The physician began practising in Chennai’s Shenoy Nagar in 1950 after completing his medical studies at Kilpauk Medical College. Patients from slums like Bharathipuram and RV Nagar walk into his clinic knowing they will leave without a bill. Hande covers their bus fare home.
He founded Hande Hospitals in these areas in 1984. But his impact extends beyond clinical practice. As Health Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1980 to 1986, Hande improved primary health care, reduced infant mortality, and combated leprosy through mass screenings. He advanced polio vaccination in partnership with Rotary Club and CMC Vellore. In 1986, he announced India’s first HIV/AIDS case.
The Medical Council of India awarded him the Dr BC Roy Award in 1985 for excellence in health administration. He remains the only Health Minister to receive this honour. Today, he writes on Ramayana and Dr Ambedkar.
Dr Punniamurthy Natesan, also from Tamil Nadu, received the Padma Shri for his contributions to medicine.
Guduru Venkat Rao, a gastroenterologist at AIG Hospitals, Hyderabad, collected the Padma Shri after performing over 12,000 surgeries and 16,000 endoscopies. He pioneered Transoral Endoscopic Appendectomy and developed a macro-encapsulation device for diabetes. Rao completed his MBBS from Osmania Medical College and MS from Bangalore Medical College.
“This is indeed a moment of profound sense of gratitude and with deep humility I must say that it is beyond an individual achievement. It belongs to the collective spirit of teamwork, commitment, and shared purpose that defines everything we do at AIG Hospitals,” Rao said in a statement.
“I am deeply indebted to my colleagues, fellow surgeons, clinicians, nurses, technicians, administrators, and every member of the AIG family whose dedication to patient care makes excellence possible every single day. Special mention to Dr D Nageshwar Reddy here who has been a constant support all throughout my career.”
Rao thanked both central and state governments for recognising work that extends beyond the operating room into institution building, training, research, and community service.
“This recognition reinforces my belief that medicine, at its best, is a blend of skill, science, compassion, and responsibility to society. I remain committed to serving patients, mentoring young professionals, and contributing to the growth of healthcare in our country,” he said.
Palkonda Vijay Anand Reddy joined Rao as a Padma Shri recipient from Telangana. Born on October 20, 1959, Reddy serves as Director and Senior Consultant in Radiation Oncology at Apollo Cancer Hospitals, Hyderabad. He has treated more than 15,000 cancer patients over 30 years.
Reddy completed his MBBS, MD in Radiotherapy, and DNB in Radiotherapy from Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad. He holds fellowships from Tata Memorial Hospital, Adyar Cancer Institute, and Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences. His work at New York Hospital and Children’s Hospital Philadelphia expanded his expertise before he pioneered ocular oncology at LV Prasad Eye Institute in 1998.
He led the Association of Radiation Oncologists of India as President and chaired the Indian College of Radiation Oncology. Reddy founded the CURE Foundation and maintains a 90 percent success rate in treatments using techniques like IMRT, IGRT, stereotactic radiosurgery, brachytherapy, and proton therapy.
Dr Suresh Hanagavadi received the Padma Shri for medicine from Karnataka. A professor of pathology at JJM Medical College in Davangere, Hanagavadi lives with severe haemophilia, experiencing 70 per cent factor deficiency.
His maternal uncle died from untreated bleeding. That death pushed Hanagavadi into medicine. He chose pathology for its lab-based work, anticipating potential disabilities from his condition.
In 1989, Hanagavadi established the Karnataka Hemophilia Society. He advocated for free clotting factor medicines at government hospitals statewide. He created Davangere’s state treatment centre for inherited blood disorders, which now serves thousands of patients, including those from outside Karnataka. The centre operates through public, philanthropic, and government resources.
Hanagavadi conducts awareness camps with partners from the World Federation of Haemophilia. The society provides free medicines to more than 850 patients. In 2024, India’s Ministry of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities gave him a National Award. Multiple international, national, and state honours followed for his haemophilia care advocacy.
Kerala and Andhra Pradesh sent no recipients in the medicine category for 2026, though medical professionals from other regions and abroad received recognition.
(Edited by Amit Vasudev)
