Mahesh Prasad Mehray | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1900 (1900) |
| Died | 1974 (aged 73–74) |
| Occupation | Ophthalmologist |
| Years active | 1926–1974 |
| Known for | Sitapur Eye Hospital |
| Spouse | Gopi Rani |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan Padma Shri Dr. B. C. Roy Award Rustom Merwaniji Alpaiwalla Award |
Mahesh Prasad Mehray (1900–1974) was an Indian ophthalmologist and the founder of Sitapur Eye Hospital, a 2500-bedded healthcare group with 32 branches acrossUttar Pradesh andUttaranchal.[1] He was a recipient ofDr. B. C. Roy Award of theMedical Council of India, the highest Indian award in the medical category. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of thePadma Shri in 1955 and followed it up with the third highest honour of thePadma Bhushan, in 1970, for his contributions to Medical science.[2]
Mehray was born inNorth Western Provinces,British India (the relevant part of which is now in the Indian state ofUttar Pradesh) in 1900.[3] After graduating in medicine from theKing George Medical College, Lucknow, he served as the Medical Officer at the District Board Dispensary, a primary health centre, atKhairabad, a rural area around 80 km from the state capital ofLucknow. Later, he underwent advanced training in ophthalmology atEgmore Ophthalmic Training Centre, the present dayRegional Institute of Ophthalmology and Government Ophthalmic Hospital, and completed his studies in Vienna in 1935. At a time when the healthcare sector was not yet developed in the rural areas of the country, he started a small eye hospital in Khairabad, in 1926, where there was no facility for eye care. The centre started working out of temporary sheds for treating the patients and soon, the facility ran short of space for accommodating the growing number of patients when Mehray moved the centre toSitapur, the district headquarters.[4]
In 1943, the hospital started functioning at its present location.[3] Over the years, the hospital has grown to become a 1000-bedded facility and has another 1500 beds at the 32 branches located at various places in the states ofUttaranchal andUttar Pradesh.[5] TheMedical Council of India honoured Mehray with the highest Indian medical award,Dr. B. C. Roy Award[4] and the Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of thePadma Shri in 1955.[6] He was included in theRepublic Day Honours list again in 1970, this time for the third highest honour of thePadma Bhushan.[2] He was also a recipient of Rustom Merwaniji Alpaiwalla Award and honorific titles such asRai Sahib andRai Bahadur.[4] Mehray, who was married to Gopi Rani, died in 1974, at the age of 74.[4] Sitapur Eye Hospital has since opened a community centre under the name,Dr. M. P. Mehray Institute of Community Ophthalmogy, in honour of its founder.[5]
