Dr. Kantilal Hastimal Sancheti (K. H. Sancheti), Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan & Padma Vibhushan

Dr. Kantilal Hastimal Sancheti (K. H. Sancheti), Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan & Padma Vibhushan
Orthopaedic Surgeon, Innovator & Founder of Sancheti Institute

A young doctor once asked him, “Sir, why do you keep inventing simpler and cheaper implants when imported ones are already available?”

Dr. Kantilal Hastimal Sancheti replied firmly, “Most of our patients cannot afford expensive foreign implants. If we can design something that works just as well and costs far less, then more people can walk again without financial ruin. That is true service.”

That belief has guided his entire life’s work.

Kantilal Hastimal Sancheti was born on 24 July 1936 into a middle-class Shewtamber Jain family in Pune. As a young man he worked at Amrutatulya Tea Centre in Narayan Peth, serving tea while nursing the dream of becoming a doctor. He went on to complete his medical education and specialised in orthopaedics, earning MS (Ortho), PhD (Ortho), FRCS (Edinburgh), FCPS, FICS and FACS.

In 1965 he began Pune’s first dedicated orthopaedic practice with a modest 10-bed setup. In 1972 he founded the Sancheti Institute for Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation (SIOR) — Maharashtra’s first specialised orthopaedic hospital. Over the decades it grew into a major centre for joint replacement, trauma, spine surgery, paediatric orthopaedics, arthroscopy and rehabilitation.

Dr. Sancheti is best known for developing India’s first indigenous knee implant, the Indus Knee, along with the Indus Hip prosthesis, KHS screws and the SanFixator. These affordable, high-quality devices made joint replacement accessible to thousands of patients who could not afford imported implants. He has organised more than 500 health camps across India, especially for children affected by polio and other physical disabilities.

He has trained and mentored hundreds of orthopaedic surgeons, many of whom went on to establish their own centres. He served as Honorary Orthopaedic Surgeon to the Governor of Maharashtra and the Indian Armed Forces, and held leadership roles including President of the Indian Orthopaedic Association and the Maharashtra Orthopaedic Association. He has also been associated with postgraduate education, hospital design and academic committees.

The Government of India recognised his contributions with the Padma Shri in 1991, the Padma Bhushan in 2001 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2012. He has also received the Dr. B. C. Roy Award, the Maharana Mewar Award, the International Award for Medical Excellence from Harvard Medical School, and several lifetime achievement honours.

Even in his later years, Dr. Sancheti continues to emphasise simplicity, innovation and affordability.

“All my life my aim was to earn respect and recognition, not money,” he has said. “I still carry a wooden piece, a handkerchief and a phone in my pocket — ready to invent something new that can help patients without burdening them.”

From serving tea in a small Pune shop to founding a leading orthopaedic institute, inventing indigenous implants and receiving India’s highest civilian awards, Dr. Kantilal Hastimal Sancheti has transformed orthopaedic care for ordinary Indians and left a lasting legacy of accessible, high-quality treatment.