Wockhardt in collaboration with Harvard Medical International recently honoured five prominent doctors of the country with "Wockhardt Medical Excellence Awards" at a sparkling function held on Saturday at the Jamshed Bhabha Auditorium, NCPA, Mumbai. The Dean of Harvard Medical School, Boston, US, Dr. Joseph Boyd Martin presented the awards in the presence of more than thousand doctors and top dignitaries.

The doctors who were honoured at the function were Dr. S.I. Padmavati in cardiology, Dr. Noshir Wadia in neurology, Dr. Prafulla Desai in oncology, Dr. N. Gopinath in cardiac surgery and Dr. Sam G.P. Moses in diabetology.

"In India, we have awards to honour litterateurs, artistes, soldiers, industrialists and film stars. But our outstanding doctors need to be recognized on a global scale through such awards for their relentless dedication, commitment, innovation and excellence in medical services rendered to society. Indian medical practitioners are amongst the world's best. The awardees for the lifetime achievement awards selected by Harvard Medical International are indeed the most respected medical icons in our country," said Habil Khorakiwala, chairman, Wockhardt.

Padma Vibhushan Dr. S.I. Padmavati is an icon in cardiology in India. After developing a strong education foundation in London, Edinburgh, Sweden and USA in the John Hopkins Hospital and Harvard University, she has, over the past 40 years been a trend setter and leader in this speciality.

Dr. Noshir Wadia is the country's leading neurologist. Dr. Wadia's contribution to neurology covers a very wide spectrum. He holds a gazette special appointment as a consultant neurologist for life at the JJ Hospitals and Grant Medical College. He has published over 127 papers in Indian and foreign journals and has been a member of the editorial boards of noted publications.

Padmashri Dr. Nagarur Gopinath is widely considered as the father figure of heart surgery in India. His journey to excellence commenced when he performed the first successful open heart surgery using the heart lung machine in 1962 and was the first to use the pace maker and heart valves for rheumatic heart disease.

Padma Bhushan Dr. Prafulla Desai is the country's leading cancer surgeon. Dr. Desai's contributions to oncology are immense. Leading the Tata Memorial Hospital and Cancer Research Institute, Dr. Desai has made it the finest institution of oncology in this part of the world.

A leader in the discipline of endocrinology, Dr. Sam Moses was among the first senior medical professionals to predict that diabetes would become a widely prevalent disease in our nation. After obtaining the first rank in postgraduate medicine in 1953, Dr. Moses spent the next 35 years as one of the most respected, highly successful and popular professors of the prestigious Madras Medical College.

"These doctors are role models for the application of knowledge and skills in their specialized areas, helping thousands of patients to recover from disease," said the Dean of Harvard Medical School, Dr. Joseph Martin. "It is my privilege to meet India's finest doctors and present them with the Wockhardt Medical Excellence Award," he said.