Harbans Singh Wasir, was an Indian cardiologist, medical researcher and writer, and the professor and head of the Department of Cardiology at the

All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, also known as AIIMS Delhi, is a public medical research university and hospital in New Delhi, India. The institute is governed by the AIIMS Act, 1956 and operates autonomously under the Mini ...

, known for his contributions in the fields of

hypertension Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long-term high bl ...

and

rheumatic heart disease Rheumatic fever (RF) is an inflammatory disease that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain. The disease typically develops two to four weeks after a streptococcal throat infection. Signs and symptoms include fever, multiple painful jo ...

s. He was a recipient of

Dr. B. C. Roy Award The Bidhan Chandra Roy Award was instituted in 1962 in memory of Dr. B. C. Roy by the Medical Council of India. It is presented by the President of India in New Delhi every year on July 1, National Doctors' Day. It is also the highest honour tha ...

, the highest Indian award in the medical category. The

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

in 1987 and followed it up with the third highest honour of Padma Bhushan in 2000.

Biography

Born on 13 August 1937, Wasir graduated in medicine from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Delhi and continued his studies there to secure MD in medicine in 1965 and DM in cardiology in 1969. His career started at his alma mater itself where he rose in ranks to become the professor and head of the department of cardiology during his thirty years of service there. After

superannuation A pension (, from Latin ''pensiō'', "payment") is a fund into which a sum of money is added during an employee's employment years and from which payments are drawn to support the person's retirement from work in the form of periodic payments ...

from service in 1997, he joined Batra Hospital, Delhi and served the institution till his death on 23 August 2004. Wasir served as the honorary physician to four of the

Presidents of India The president of India is the head of state of the Republic of India and the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. The president is referred to as the first citizen of India. Although vested with these powers by the Constitution of Ind ...

and was a Consultant to the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

on Cardiovascular Diseases. He is credited with research on the topic of preventive cardiology and his research findings have been published by way of several books in English and Hindi, such as ''Preventive Cardiology'', ''Aging and Heart Care'', ''Heart to Heart — A Holistic Approach to Heart Care'', ''Traditional Wisdom in Heart Care'', ''Life Styles and Longevity'' and ''Heart Care for Holistic Health'' and over 400 medical papers. He also delivered over 350 lectures on cardiology in India and abroad and served as a visiting professor at universities in Sweden, Belgium and Russia. On duty with the World Health Organization, he worked as a consultant at Mauritius, Nepal and Bhutan. Harbans Singh Wasir was a recipient of

from the

Medical Council of India The Medical Council of India (MCI) was a statutory body for establishing uniform and high standards of medical education in India until its dissolution on 25 September 2020 when it was replaced by National Medical Commission. The Council grante ...

and two civilian awards from the

, the

in 1987 and the Padma Bhushan in 2000. He also received the Research Award from the

Indian Council for Medical Research The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest and largest medical research bodies in the world. The ICMR is funded by the Gove ...

and DSc (honoris causa) in Medical Sciences and was an elected fellow of the

National Academy of Sciences, India The National Academy of Sciences, India, established in 1930, is the oldest science academy in India. It is located in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Prof. Meghnad Saha was the founder president. Fellows *Suddhasatwa Basu * Sudha Bhattacharya * Ch ...

. He was married to Bhupendra Kaur, a gynecologist and the couple had two sons, Harpreet Wasir (Wife- Dr.Kamal Preet Kaur Wasir) and Jasjeet Wasir( Wife - Dr. Vani Wasir), with 3 beautiful grandchildren namely Gitali Wasir, Mehar Wasir and Amanpreet Wasir . Both the children are medical doctors.

Selected bibliography

* * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wasir, Harbans Singh 1937 births 2004 deaths Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in medicine Recipients of the Padma Shri in medicine Dr. B. C. Roy Award winners All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi alumni Indian cardiologists Indian medical academics Indian medical researchers Indian medical writers Academic staff of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi World Health Organization officials Fellows of The National Academy of Sciences, India 20th-century Indian medical doctors Indian officials of the United Nations