Dr. Sivapatham Vittal (S. Vittal), Padma Shri

Dr. Sivapatham Vittal (S. Vittal), Padma Shri
Surgical Endocrinologist & Father of Surgical Endocrinology in India

A young surgeon once asked him, “Sir, why did you choose to specialise in endocrine surgery when few even recognised it as a separate field?”

Dr. Sivapatham Vittal replied with quiet conviction, “The glands that control our hormones may be small, but the problems they cause can transform a patient’s life. Someone had to develop this specialty properly in our country so that patients could receive precise, dedicated care. That responsibility fell to us.”

That sense of purpose shaped an entire branch of surgery in India.

Sivapatham Vittal was born on 30 August 1941 in Madras (now Chennai). He completed both his MBBS and postgraduate surgical training (MS) at Madras Medical College, where he won several prizes and gold medals. He later obtained the FRCS from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and served as a surgical tutor there. He was also honoured with the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of England by invitation.

He joined the faculty of his alma mater and in 1987 was instrumental in establishing the Department of Endocrine Surgery at Madras Medical College — the first such dedicated department in India. He served as its first Head of Department until 1999. Through his efforts, the specialty of surgical endocrinology took root and spread to other institutions across the country. He is widely regarded as the Father of Surgical Endocrinology in India.

Dr. Vittal was the founder President of the Indian Association of Endocrine Surgeons. He also served as President of the Association of Surgeons of India and the International College of Surgeons (Indian Section). He was Surgical Tutor and later Chairman of the India Chapter of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, and a member of the British Association of Endocrine and Thyroid Surgeons. After retirement from Madras Medical College he continued as an endocrine surgeon at Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, and was one of the founders of Sree Sai Krishna Hospital.

He edited and published a book on Surgical Endocrinology, contributed to major journals, served on editorial boards (including the British Journal of Surgery and Indian Journal of Surgery), and delivered prestigious orations in India and abroad. He remained an active teacher for more than four decades and was known for combining surgical skill with a warm sense of humour.

The Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri in 2011. His other major honours include the Dr. B. C. Roy National Award (1995), Tamil Nadu Scientist Award (1998), Overseas Gold Medal of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (2005), Dr. B. M. Sundaravadanam Best Teacher Award, Teachers’ Teacher Award, and the Madras Medical College Lifetime Achievement Award (2010).

Dr. Vittal passed away on 26 November 2024 at the age of 83. He is survived by his wife Rajakumari Vittal, son Sai Krishna Vittal, and daughters V. Saimanjulavalli and Sai Vishnupriya Vittal.

Colleagues remembered him as a surgeon who held the knife with precision and taught with generosity.

“Developing a new specialty is never the work of one person,” he often said, “but someone must begin. Once the foundation is strong, many can build upon it for the benefit of patients.”

From creating India’s first department of endocrine surgery to training generations of surgeons and elevating the field nationally and internationally, Dr. Sivapatham Vittal left an enduring legacy in surgical endocrinology.