Vizag orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Adinarayana Rao awarded Padma Shri

On 25 January, 2022, well known orthopaedic surgeon from Visakhapatnam, Dr. Sunkara Venkata Adinarayana Rao, was conferred with India’s fourth-highest civilian award, Padma Shri, by the the Government of India. He was awarded for his endless services to thousands of polio victims.

In his notable career of six decades, Dr. Adinarayana Rao has rendered his services to the poor and needy, receiving numerous accolades and awards for his work. He has successfully completed over one lakh surgeries till date. Dr. Adinarayana Rao had previously received the National Award, from the Prime Minister of India, for his welfare work for the disabled, in 1988. In 2014, Dr. Adinarayana Rao also received the National Award for Child Welfare from the President of India. He is also very popular in North India for his treatment of polio victims.

The 82 year old orthopaedic surgeon was born to freedom fighters Kanakam and Seshamma, on 30 June, 1939, in Bhimavaram, West Godavari District. He is one of the notable alumnus of Andhra Medical College (AMC), who has completed his M.B.B.S in 1966, and Master’s Degree in Orthopaedic Surgery in 1970, from the same college. Dr. Adinarayana Rao is married to R. Sasiprabha, the former superintendent of King George Hospital (KGH), Visakhapatnam. He is also trained in micro-vascular and hand surgery in Germany. He served as a professor of Traumatology and Orthopaedics in the Andhra University. Later, he worked as a Civil Surgeon in the King George Hospital. Apart from this, he has also presented many research papers in various state and national level conferences and seminars, and authored two books, Surgery on Polio Disability and Principles and Practices of Orthopaedics.

Now, he is settled in Visakhapatnam and continues to render his services in the city. He is presently the managing trustee of the Free Polio Surgical and Research Foundation, and the Director General of the PREMA (Polio Research, Rehabilitation and Management) Group of Hospitals and Institutions, a non-profit charity organisation.

Dr. Adinarayana Rao is also an avid lover of football and was the President of the Visakhapatnam District Football Association for more than three decades. Through his keen interest towards the game, he put determined efforts to bring fame to the Visakha Trophy National Football Championship. Top football clubs, from various parts of the country such as Bengal, Punjab, Goa, Maharashtra, and other states, took part in the championship till the early ’90s.

Apart from Dr. Adinarayana Rao, the other Padma Shri Awardees, from the two Telugu speaking states, include Garikapati Narasimha Rao (Literature and Education), Gosaveedu Shaik Hassan, posthumously (Art), Darshanam Mogilaiah (Art), Ramachandraiah (Art), and Padmaja Reddy (Art). Dr. Krishna M. Ella and Suchitra Ella have been awarded with India’s third-highest civilian award, Padma Bhushan, in the field of Trade and Industry.