Dr Rustom Phiroze Soonawala, Consulting Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, is synonymous with Population Control and Family Planning in India. Over the past five decades, apart from practicing his specialization in India, Dr Soonawala has shared his wisdom, knowledge, and skills in Asia, Europe, Australia, and America.

Currently, Dr Soonawala is a Senior Consultant and Head of Department at Jaslok Hospital, Breach Candy Hospital, Masina Hospital, Parsee General Hospital, and Saifee Hospital in Mumbai; as well as Max Healthcare Hospitals in Delhi, and Welcare Hospital in Dubai.

In addition, Dr Soonawala is Professor Emeritus at G S Medical College, and Wadia Maternity Hospital; Founder President of Indian Society of Prenatal Diagnosis and Therapy; and Honorary Medical Director of Family Planning Association of India. He is Chairman of Tata Memorial Hospital Ethics Committee; Member of WHO Expert Panel on Female Sterilization; Member of International Advisory Board, American Association of Gynecological Laparoscopy; and Member on the Board of Directors of World Federation of Voluntary Surgical Contraception.

Dr Soonawala. A tireless crusader for Population Control and Family Planning. A gentleman surgeon and teacher. His patients describe him as a compassionate and ethical human; as well as an excellent listener. He has conducted a record number of vasectomy and sterilization camps; and performed over 30,000 female sterilizations with very low complication rate. He believes that when you pursue perfection, you achieve excellence along the way.

Over the decades, Dr Soonawala has facilitated the establishment of several socio-medical institutions. A sterling example is the low cost medical center on the outskirts of Jaipur, which includes a free hospital; medical college of 150 seats; post graduate college of 50 seats; as well as nursing and dental colleges. He firmly believes that knowledge is not knowledge until it is shared.

For his original work in Intra Uterine Contraception, Dr Soonawala is one of the seven in the world to have been awarded the Von Graffenberg Medal by the University of Kiel, West Germany. Further, he has numerous papers to his credit that have been published in Indian and international journals. A speaker, par excellence, Dr Soonawala has been the keynote speaker at numerous conferences on Obstetrics and Gynaecology, globally. Making India proud.

Dr Soonawala. A healthcare visionary and missionary.

Dr Sultan Pradhan, Chairman Aga Khan Health Services, India is also the President and Chief of Oncology, Prince Aly Khan Hospital. He is synonymous with affordable-cancer-care.

Early in his professional career, Dr Pradhan recognized that head and neck surgical oncology was under-developed in India, despite cancers of this region being the commonest malignancies among Indian males. He consequently made it his mission to popularize this field through a crusading series of workshops across the country. Head and neck surgery is currently a preferred specialization for medical students.

Over the years, Dr Pradhan has earned a reputation for extraordinary competency in voice conservation techniques relating to laryngeal cancer surgery. He has written the only monograph in the world on this subject. He has also cascaded this expertise, as well as skills in other aspects of laryngeal surgery, to the next-generation surgeons.

A pioneer, Dr Pradhan has conducted knowledge sharing workshops in association with Dr Philippe Monnier of the University of Lausanne, to ensure India is the benchmark for head and neck surgical oncology. An unambiguous vision.

Dr Pradhan is a gentleman surgeon and teacher. His patients describe him as a compassionate and ethical human. His students describe him as an extraordinary listner.

His interests extend beyond oncology to rural health. Dr Pradhan counsels communities of young adults in rural India, specifically, on empowerment of women.

A visionary and a missionary, Dr Pradhan believes that when you pursue perfection, you achieve excellence along the way. He also believes that knowledge is not knowledge until it is shared.

Dr Devi Prasad Shetty is the Chairman of Narayana Hrudayalaya, Bangalore and Asia Heart Foundation, Kolkata. He is a man with a mission. He aims to make healthcare affordable for the masses living in the third world.

Dr Shetty, the pioneer, has several “firsts” to his credit. He is the first heart surgeon in India to perform heart surgeries on new born babies, using micro chip cameras. He has also pioneered operations for complex problems of the heart, such as, pulmonary endarterectomy, redo heart surgery, valve repairs in new born babies, and aortic aneurysm surgeries. Transforming the art of healthcare into a science. Healthcare excellence, at its best.

Dr Shetty and his team have performed over 42,000 major heart surgeries. Of these, 15,000 operations have been on children; several of them on new born babies from India as well as neighbouring countries. His credo: Plan on more than you can do, then do it.

In addition, Dr Shetty has assisted the state government of Karnataka to launch Yeshashwini Micro Health Insurance, recognized to be the largest Micro Health Insurance Program in the world. To support this endeavour, he is currently building 5,000 bed Health-Cities in every state capital of India. Making healthcare affordable for the masses. Dr Shetty – the social innovator.

Dr Rani Bang and Dr Abhay Bang, Founders, Society for Education, Action and Research in Community Health, Gadchiroli, Maharashtra, exemplify idealism inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. They completed their medical education in India with four gold medals. This was followed by public health education in the US where they earned top rankings.

Drs Bang live and work in Gadchiroli, a community of 150 villages, to provide health care to the tribals. Their village health care program has influenced health policy, nationally and globally. They first brought to the notice of the world that rural women had a large burden of gynecological diseases. They showed how pneumonia in children can be managed in villages, and more recently, how newborn care can be delivered in villages. Their research has been published in the Lancet.

The innovative approach adopted by Drs Bang, of empowering villages to take care of their own health has reduced the infant mortality rate in their work area from 121 to 30. Their model has been replicated by NGOs and the Indian Council of Medical Research in five states.

Dr Rani Bang and Dr Abhay Bang have risen above themselves to completely focus on others. With tremendous courage and strength of conviction. Together. Selflessly. A best practice.

We salute Dr Rani Bang and Dr Abhay Bang, Qimpro Platinum Standard 2007. A role model for Quality in Health Care.

Prof Dr Ajit Gangadhar Phadke, M.B.B.S., M.S., Department of Urology, Bombay Hospital and Institute of Medical Sciences is a distinguished surgeon, teacher, and human being. On completing his urology training at McGill University, Canada, he returned to India and has over the past forty years established himself as a benchmark urologist in India.

Dr Phadke is a pioneer of kidney transplantation in India; and lithotripsy, the minimally invasive method of treating kidney stones. As Medical Director of Aditya Lithotripsy Centre, Mumbai, he ensures that consistent excellent care is received by his patients from all cross-sections of society. Every patient seeking his services is accommodated.

Dr Phadke attracts patients from across the country. To address their needs, Dr Phadke has established the Nana Palkar Smriti Samiti that runs a charitable hostel in Mumbai, equipped with dialysis units, for the convenience of patients and their relatives. A noteworthy practice.

The most acknowledged qualities of Dr Phadke are his inspiring leadership in the medical profession, as well as his ability to teach his students. Dr Phadke has served as President of the Urological Society of India; as Member of the IRR Ethics Committee; and as Member of the Governing Council of the Association of Surgeons of India. He is synonymous with simplicity, integrity, and dignity.

We salute Prof Dr Ajit Gangadhar Phadke, Qimpro Platinum Standard 2006. A role model for Quality in Healthcare.

Dr Indira Hinduja, M.D., Ph.D., D.G.O., D.F.P., Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre is a distinguished surgeon, researcher, and teacher. Her success is attributed to her precise surgical skills, coupled with knowledge of applied biology, in the context of society at large.

Dr Hinduja is the pioneer of the Gamete Intra Fellopian Transfer (GIFT) technique, that resulted in the birth of India’s first GIFT baby on 4 January 1988. She is also credited with developing an Oocyte Donation technique for menopausal and premature ovarian failure patients, that resulted in the birth of India’s first Oocyte Donation baby on 24 January 1991. The societal impact of her work is outstanding. It has transformed the quality of numerous lives.

Dr Hinduja has been actively involved in numerous research projects such as: the development of reproductive technologies; induction of ovulation; human oocyte structure; male infertility. Her keen interest in these specializations has endorsed over one hundred national and international papers. Dr Hinduja has over ninety papers to her credit. In various national and international journals. A best practice.

We salute Dr Indira Hinduja, Qimpro Platinum Standard 2005. A role model for Quality in Healthcare.