Dr. Dukhan Ram: For the greater good.

Abstract

Dr. Dukhan Ram was born on July 15, 1899, in Sasaram, Bihar. He was born into a Vaisya family with poor financial means, it was needless to say that his childhood was riddled with hardships, losing his father at a tender age of four. As a young boy herding cattle, he would listen attentively to the village teacher teaching the students, from afar.[1] Once the teacher discovered him reciting everything that he had taught the students a day ago. Surprised and sensing a hidden potential, the teacher kindly allowed him to sit for the classes.[1] He admired and was possibly inspired by the village doctor, Dr. Jaffer Hasan, who would go on visits in a palanquin and was revered by all the villagers.[1] Dr. Ram started doing part-time jobs as a tutor and selling ready-made garments to supplement his income and continue his studies.[1] A sincere and hardworking student from the beginning, he received several scholarships, which helped him to fulfill his academic desires. He joined Calcutta Medical College and simultaneously enrolled in BSc classes in the evening. He graduated in both medicine (1926) and a Bachelor of Science (1925). After an internship at Patna Medical College, Bihar, he was selected by the Government of Bihar to go to England for specialization in ENT and Ophthalmology.[2] He completed his DLO and DOMS Ophthalmology from the coveted Royal College of Surgeons of London. On his return to India in 1934, he joined Patna Medical College as faculty in the Department of Ophthalmology and Otorhinolaryngology. The Patna Medical College was founded in 1925 and was the sixth-oldest medical college in India.[3] He became a professor in 1944 and built a robust department, initializing DO, DLO, MS (Eye), and MS (ENT) courses. In 1959, he was appointed the Principal of the institution. Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur, the then health minister of India, nominated him as a member of the Governing Body of AIIMS, New Delhi, a role which he served until the Institute was fully established.[1] He was also the Vice Chancellor of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University and supported the establishment of the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi, and medical colleges in Muzaffarpur and Bhagalpur. In 1945, the British Government bestowed on him the title of Rai Sahib. He was an active member of Pradhan of Arya Samaj, founded by Dayanand Saraswati, and was the President of the Bihar chapter of the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha in 1951, Vice President of the All India Pratinidhi Sabha in 1956 and President of the International Arya League held in Mauritius in 1957. Dr. Ram was the Founding President of the Bihar unit of the All India Ophthalmological Society and helmed the conferences held in Patna (1952) and Jamshedpur (1956) and was the President of the AIOS in 1961. He was the President of the A.O.I and chaired the national conference of ENT in 1953.[2] He was also the President of the Bihar chapter of the Indian Medical Association from 1954–1955. He was the Founding President of the Institute of Administrative Studies at Patna for higher studies in administration and management. A surgeon with exceptional skills, he respected the ocular tissues and was devoted to his patients and students. He was requested to operate on the first President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, for cataract in 1957. This tradition continued and he was the honorary ophthalmic surgeon for four subsequent Presidents, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Dr. Zakir Husain, V.V.Giri, and Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed. Dr. Ram was also a member of the Mudaliar Committee of 1959, set up by the Government of India as a Health Survey and Planning Committee for reviewing and proposing guidelines for medical relief and public health services, chaired by A. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar. In 1962, Dr. Ram contested as the candidate for the Indian National Congress from Sasaram against Bipan Behari Sinha of the Praja Socialist Party in the Bihar Legislative Assembly election and won by a margin of 11,984 votes! The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honor, the Padma Bhushan in 1962. Dr. Ram passed away on April 16, 1990, at the ripe age of 90. He is survived by his six children and an untarnished glowing legacy. The Dr. Dukhan Ram DAV Public School in Patna, the Bihar and Jharkhand State Branch of The Association of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgeons of India’s annual oration, Dr. Dukhan Ram Memorial Oration, are named after him. He is fondly remembered as a gifted surgeon and an understanding teacher.[2] Image credits Soft pastels on paper by Dr. Suhas Sarawade, Professor of Ophthalmology, Dr. V. M. Government Medical college, Solapur, Maharashtra, Inda. Financial support and sponsorship Nil. Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts of interest.