Prem Chandra Dhanda | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1911-05-28)28 May 1911 |
| Died | 28 February 2013(2013-02-28) (aged 101) |
| Alma mater | Government College, Lahore King Edward Medical College |
| Occupations | Physician Medical academic |
| Spouse | Leila Dharmavir |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan |
Prem Chandra Dhanda (28 May 1911 – 28 February 2013) was an Indian physician and a medical academic.[1] He was the principal of theMaulana Azad Medical College,New Delhi and the director of G. B. Pant Hospital, New Delhi.[2] TheGovernment of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of thePadma Bhushan, in 1962, for his contributions to medicine.[3]
Born inAmbala, in the present dayHaryana to Dunichand Ambalvi, a lawyer, he did his education at Anglo Sanskrit High School,Government College andKing Edward Medical College inLahore, after which he worked atHammersmith Hospital, London, simultaneously completing the MRCP course.[4] His Indian career started in 1938 when he joinedIndian Army Medical Corps where he worked for 7 years, reaching the rank of a lieutenant colonel,[5] till his move to Irwin Hospital (presently Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital), New Delhi in 1945. His efforts were reported behind the establishment of theMaulana Azad Medical College, as a wing of Irwin Hospital, where he later took charge as the director-principal.[6] It was reported that Danda worked at Maulana Azad Medical College on honorary basis, drawing a nominal salary of₹ 1 per month.[4] He served as the consultant physician to several notable personalities of the time, includingMahatma Gandhi,Jawaharlal Nehru,Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel,Rajendra Prasad,Govind Ballabh Pant andZakir Husain[4] and was the president of the Delhi Medical Association during 1953–54.[7]
Danda was an elected Fellow of theRoyal College of Physicians of London[2] and theNational Academy of Medical Sciences.[8] He received the third highest civilian award of thePadma Bhushan from the Government of India in 1962.[1] He was married to Leila Dharmvir and the couple had two daughters. He died three months to his 102nd birthday, on 28 February 2013, his wife having preceded him in death.[4]