Padma Shri Awardee and Renowned Cardiologist Dr. Mathew Samuel Kalarickal Passes Away.

Obituary

In April 2025, Padma Shri awardee Dr. Mathew Samuel Kalarickal, a renowned cardiologist and widely known as the 'Father of Angioplasty' in India, passed away at the age of 77 in Chennai. He was born on January 6, 1948, in Kottayam, Kerala. Dr. Kalarickal was honored with the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award, in 2000 for his significant contributions to the field of medicine.


      - In 1986, Dr. Kalarickal performed India's first coronary angioplasty, a pioneering achievement in interventional cardiology.

      - He was instrumental in setting up angioplasty facilities across various countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, as well as multiple nations in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

      - He founded the National Angioplasty Registry of India (NARI) to promote standardization in cardiac procedures and foster innovation, and also served as the President of the Asian-Pacific Society of Interventional Cardiology from 1995 to 1997.

Main Point :-   (i) Dr. Mathew Samuel Kalarickal received the prestigious Dr. B.C. Roy Award in 1996 for excellence in the field of medicine.

      (ii) In 2003, Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University in Chennai conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa).

(iii) He was also recognized with the "Rashtriya Samman" in 2000, awarded to top taxpayers in the country.

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