Raj Vir Singh Yadav
| Prof. Raj Vir Singh Yadav | |
|---|---|
| Born |
July 27, 1937 Badaun, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Died | February 4, 2006 (aged 68) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Surgeon |
| Known for | Kidney transplants |
Professor R.V.S. Yadav was born on 27 July 1937 in Nauliharnathpur (District Badaun), Uttar Pradesh, India. He was awarded the MBBS in 1961 and the MS (Surgery) in 1964 respectively from the King George's Medical College, Lucknow University, Lucknow. He received the FICS (General Surgery) in 1974 from the International College of Surgeons and the FACS (General Surgery) in 1977 from the American College of Surgeons.
Subsequent on his graduation from the famed King George Medical College (KGMC), Luckily now, Yadav finished his MS in surgery, and set forth to conquer many frontiers on the wide canvass of life. His initial period of work at the KGMC, followed by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi and the BJ Medical College Lucknow, and then at the Melbourne and Queen Elizabeth Hospital Adelaide, where he received exclusive training in kidney transplantation and dialysis, were all stepping stones to what lay ahead. He got opportunity to learn the art and science of transplant surgery from numerous world-class experts in field during his stay in Australia his involvement in kidney transplantation goes back to 1967 when he was co-investigator to an ICMR Scheme on kidney preservation and kidney transplantation in dogs. Since then he continuously worked for the progress of the speciality along with practice of general surgery without a break. He returned to India influenced by a speech of the Late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in Australia, an act of great patriotism at significant personal loss.
Yadav performed the first ever kidney transplant in India at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGIMER) at Chandigarh in 1973, which was pioneering effort. Till the time of his passing away, he had performed 1000 such operations. He was the first transplant surgeon to be by honoured by Indira Gandhi with the Padma Shri award in 1982. He remains the youngest medical professional to have received the honour. He was honorary surgeon to three consecutive Presidents, Dr. Neelam Sanjeeva Reddi, Gyani Zail Singh and R. Venkataraman.
Yadav introduced Donor Card and popularised the Cadaver Kidney Donor Progamme in India for the first time in 1976. He organised a very successful sports meet for the kidney donor and recipients for the first time in the country, which proved to be great forum for publicity of this noble cause and a moral booster to the patients and donors and an eye opener and education to lay public. He also held for the first time transplant convention in 1983 where eminent people from religious organizations, bureaucracy, legal professional patients and donors and the general public freely discussed various issues related to organ transplantation. Yadav took up the issue of legalising cadaver donation with the Govt. of India and Govt. of Punjab and thousands of people registered as donor after death with PGIMER.
Yadav was a strong personality, and like all strong personalities he had a soft side, which was reflected in his attitude to the poor and underprivileged.
A through professional in every sense of the word, Yadav continued to strive for excellence till his last days. He also turned his attention to the vital isolated ovarian transplant for barren women and achieved indicative success in the research on the subject.
At the time of his demise, he was the senior-most transplant surgeon in India. On his return from Australia he performed the first haemo-dialysis at Ahmedabad. In 1973 he performed the first human kidney transplant in North India at the PGIMER and laid the foundation of the first transplant unit of the region. The unit that Yadav established continues to impart training to surgical and medical students at the postgraduate level besides nursing and para medical staff. Prof Yadav trained over 25 surgeons in the field of transplantation besides numerous nephrologists and nursing teams. In recognition of the services of Prof Yadav, the Government of India sanctioned the first-of-its-kind centre for transplantation at the PGIMER where research, speciality training and service was sought to be provided under one roof. The centre is operational. Yadav died on 4 February 2006.
Yadav was honoured with the establishment of the Raj Vir Singh Yadav Foundation, which aims to support medical and scientific education, awareness, research and practice. It offers and supports socio-economic assistance, development, and general welfare and empowerment of the Indian societies.