Prof. H S Asopa
(July 3, 1932November 22, 2023)
Professor Asopa is a renowned surgeon best known as the father of modern innovative techniques in surgical fields and pioneer of the Asopa Technique for Hypospadias. He served as National President of Associations of Surgeons of India in 1996. He was Past President and honorary Lifetime President of the International Society of Hypospadias and Intersex Disorders.
Born in July 1932, he had a brilliant career and stood first in MBBS from the Agra University. He received several medals including the Chancellor Medal. He did MS (Surgery) from Agra Medical College in 1964. He completed his FRCS – England and FRCS – Edinburgh. After completing his studies, he joined the Department of General Surgery, S N Medical College, Agra and later on as Prof. and Head, Department of General Surgery, M L B Medical College, Jhansi, India.
He invented a one-stage operation for hypospadias; this research was published in the Journal of International Surgery in June 1971. The procedure known as the Asopa Technique was soon being done worldwide by urologists, pediatric, plastic, and general surgeons. It found a place in International Journals, References, and textbooks.
In 1984, he published another surgical technique which was a refinement of the original Asopa operation and was called Asopa Two and later described in Textbooks as the Asopa Procedure 1990 version.
An operation was invented by Dr. Asopa in the mid-1990s for stricture urethra, published in Journal Urology in 2001 by Elsevier Science Inc., Philadelphia is being followed universally by urologists worldwide and has made urethral stricture surgery easy and safe. It has been popularized among reconstructive urologists all over the world as Dorsal Inlay Urethroplasty or Asopa Technique. This technique is recognized as a major advancement in urethroplasty.
He was a loved and respected teacher and continued his passion for teaching by teaching Post Graduate MS Surgeon and running a 3-year postgraduate course of DNB in General Surgery and Family Medicine accredited by the National Board of Examination of Govt. of India.
Dr. Asopa was invited to give talks on his operations at both national and international conferences. His lectures and videos are available on the website. He demonstrated these operations at workshops in over 50 institutes and preconference workshops in India and abroad.
Dr. Asopa was awarded many prizes, memberships, and fellowships including Pandalal Oration in 1991. He received Dr. B C Roy National Award as an Eminent Medical Teacher in 1991. He was again awarded Dr. B C Roy National Award as Eminent Medical Man in 1996. He was honored with Hunterian Professorship of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1996–1997.
He received Col. Sangam Lal Oration and Gen. Amir Chand Oration both from the National Academy of Medical Sciences of India and also from the Asia Society of Pediatric Urology oration in 2000 for the outstanding contribution to pediatric urology.
He was known not only in the field of surgery but also as a humanitarian doctor. He was extremely sympathetic to poor and downtrodden people.