The Builder of Digestive Care in Tamil Nadu

Born on 15 March 1949 in the village of Kallipatti in Erode district, Tamil Nadu, into an agricultural family, Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy grew up far from the great medical centres. He graduated MBBS from Mysore University in 1972, earned his MD in General Medicine in 1977, and completed his DM in Gastroenterology in 1981 from Madras Medical College—all while teaching and treating patients.

In 1986 he was deputed to Stanley Medical College in Chennai, where he founded and headed the Department of Gastroenterology. For fourteen years he served the densely populated and often underserved communities of North Chennai, building a modern unit that offered advanced endoscopic and clinical care to the poor. After retiring from government service he joined Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, as Senior Consultant, helping establish a strong training programme for the National Board and continuing to treat patients with the same dedication.

He served as President of the Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy of India (1999–2000), where he initiated guidelines for the safe disinfection of endoscopes, and as President of the Indian Society of Gastroenterology (2004–2005), advocating for the inclusion of Hepatitis B vaccination in national programmes. A Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Glasgow, he received an honorary Doctor of Science from the Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University in 2014. His writings and lectures have guided younger gastroenterologists across the country.

In 2007 the Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri for his contributions to medical science. Later honours include the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Indian Society of Gastroenterology and recognition as a legend in the field.

Married to Padmini and settled in Chennai, Dr. K.R. Palaniswamy continues as a senior consultant at Apollo Hospitals. In the endoscopy suites where complex digestive disorders are diagnosed and treated, and in the departments he once built from the ground up, his quiet legacy endures: skilled care delivered with humility, and the belief that every patient—rich or poor—deserves relief from the burdens of the gut.