The Pioneer of Medical Acupuncture in India

Born in Ajmer, Rajasthan, Raman Kapur completed his MBBS from University College of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, in the late 1970s and began his medical career with a residency at Safdarjang Hospital. In 1982 he opened his own clinic in the capital, drawn early to the ancient healing art of acupuncture. He pursued formal training, earning an MD in Acupuncture from Medicina Alternativa in 1987, and later deepened his expertise through collaboration with institutions in China and elsewhere.

In 1997 he established and became Chairman of the Department of Acupuncture at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi—the first such dedicated department in a major Indian multi-specialty hospital. As President of the Indian Society of Medical Acupuncture and Chairman of the Institute of Acupuncture and Natural Medicines, he has trained generations of doctors through courses affiliated with Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and an online postgraduate diploma offered with IGNOU. He has authored three widely read books on acupuncture and soft-laser therapy and has treated tens of thousands of patients for chronic pain, neurological conditions, migraines, sports injuries and a range of internal disorders.

His persistent advocacy helped secure official recognition of acupuncture as an independent system of healthcare in India in 2019; he was appointed Vice-Chairperson of the apex committee tasked with framing national guidelines. In 2008 the Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri—the first time the honour had been given to an acupuncturist—acknowledging his role in bringing scientific, evidence-based acupuncture into mainstream Indian medicine.

Married to Dr. Sunita Kapur, his collaborator and co-author, he continues to see patients daily at his clinic and at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. In the quiet insertion of fine needles that restore balance and relieve suffering, and in the many physicians now practising the discipline he helped legitimise, the legacy of Dr. Raman Kapur endures—bridging ancient wisdom and modern science for the relief of pain and the restoration of health.