Scaling new heights: President Murmu honours Himachal surgeon for tribal service

Dr Baiking Bhanu, a distinguished laparoscopic surgeon from Rasil village in Lahaul-Spiti district, has been honoured by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, for his outstanding services in tribal areas.

Personalities working in tribal regions across the country were invited to Rashtrapati Bhavan on September 12. Dr Bhanu was the sole representative from Himachal Pradesh. Along with the honour, he was also invited to share his valuable suggestions for policy formulation and programme implementation for the welfare of tribal communities.

Academic and professional journey

Born on August 28, 1976 at Rasil village, Dr Bhanu completed his early education from Government School, Kullu, and completed MBBS from Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, in 1994. Dr Bhanu was commissioned into the Indian Navy. He earned his MS in General Surgery from Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, and completed DNB (General Surgery) in December 2011.

Historic achievement

On 18 May 2004, Dr Bhanu successfully scaled Mount Everest, becoming the first doctor in the world to scale the highest peak on the Earth. In recognition of this rare accomplishment, he was conferred the Nausena Shaurya Award by the President. Serving as a Surgeon Commander in the Navy, he opted for voluntary retirement on December 12, 2015, to dedicated himself to serving his motherland.

Service to society

Dr Bhanu’s mission is to provide affordable and advanced medical facilities to the rural, remote and tribal regions of the state. To this end, he established the Laparoscopy Lancers Group to train surgeons in the latest minimally invasive surgical techniques. He is also the Founder Director of Bhanu Hospitals in Kullu and Mandi and regularly organises free medical camps in tribal and inaccessible areas.

Dr Bhanu’s father Lt Col SD Bhanu (retd) served in the Indian Army, his mother Pamoli Bhanu is a homemaker and his brother Satpal Bhanu is serving as Managing Director of the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC).