Obituary

Dr. Shekhar Agarwal,

M.S. Orth (Delhi), M.Ch.Orth (Liverpool), F.I.C.S, F.I.M.S.A.:

The Orthopaedic community in India has lost one of its stalwarts, Dr. Shekhar Agarwal, who passed away in New Delhi on May 10, 2021, of COVID-related complications.

A BC Roy Award recipient in 2017, Dr. Agarwal was recognized nationally and internationally for his surgical and academic skills in addition to the numerous philanthropic endeavours spread across his glittering career over four decades.

Having acquired his medical degree in 1975, he pursued a career in orthopaedics, completing his masters in 1981 from the University of Delhi. He subsequently completed his M.Ch. in Orthopaedics in 1985, from the University of Liverpool, UK.

He trained for over 7 years in the UK with teaching hospitals of the NHS Trust and the world-famous Wrightington Hip Center.

Following his return to India, he started practice in Delhi. By 1997, he converted Sant Parmanand Hospital to an orthopaedic centre of excellence, a shining example of a Public–Private Partnership financed entirely through private donations.

Under his guidance as the Executive Director and Vice President, this Multi Super-Specialty Charity Hospital provided free-cost treatment to more than 15-lakh patients. Over 15,000 eye surgeries and 4000 other surgical procedures were performed in collaboration with International NGO’s like “Smile Train” and local Government Bodies.

In 2009, he set up the Dr. Shekhar Agarwal Foundation, a charitable initiative to treat the needy.

Over 50 orthopaedic surgeons trained under him at The Delhi Institute of Trauma and Orthopaedics in the Sant Parmanand Hospital, where he established the DNB programme.

He shared the wealth of his knowledge as National (161) and International (24) faculty and trained many surgeons through more than 25 hands-on workshops. Dr. Shekhar was life member of Indian Orthopedic Association (IOA).

As a mentor to many young orthopaedic surgeons, he encouraged them to take part in research activity, having published 52 peer-reviewed national and international medical journals.

As an arthroplasty surgeon, Dr. Agarwal was one of the Founding Members of the Indian Society of Hip and Knee Surgeons (ISHKS), where he was a Past President and Trustee of ISHKS.

Dr. Shekhar Agarwal was bestowed with numerous awards for his continued dedication to his patients, students, profession and service to humanity. He received the Matre Shri Award in 2003 and Life Time Achievement Award at the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of St. Xaviers School in 2009. He also received the Vishisht Chikitsa Ratan Award on Doctors Day 2012 by the Lt. Governor of Delhi.

Dr. Shekhar will be remembered as a friend, guide, mentor, compassionate clinician, surgeon par excellence, and above all, a human being whose presence touched people across all walks of life. He is survived by his wife Nirmala and sons Kunal and Gautam.

Dr. Sanjay Agarwala.

drsanjayagarwala@gmail.com

Trustee, Executive Board and Member of ISHKS

Declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Standard Statement

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by the any of the authors.

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