Dr. Jai Pal Singh (13 May 1930 – 24 September 1997) was a distinguished Indian surgeon, medical educator and administrator. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1991 for his contributions to surgery and medical education.

Born on 13 May 1930 in the cantonment town of Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, to Dr. Yogendra Singh (a medical assistant with the British Army) and Kartari Devi, he followed in his father’s footsteps. He obtained his MBBS in 1952 and MS in Surgery in 1955, both with academic honours, from Sarojini Naidu Medical College, Agra—the same institution from which his father had graduated a generation earlier.

Over a career spanning more than four decades, Dr. Singh held several senior positions in Delhi and Haryana. He served as Senior Surgeon and Consultant at Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and Safdarjung Hospital, Head of the Department of Surgery at both institutions, Professor and Head of Surgery at the University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS), New Delhi, and Medical Superintendent of Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital (1986–1989). His final official role was as Director, Dean, Professor and Head of the Department of Surgery at the Medical College, Rohtak (now Pt. B.D. Sharma PGIMS), from 1989 to 1992.

He made notable contributions to surgical science, particularly in the management of childhood burns, hernia, surgical nutrition, kidney stones, and amoebic liver abscess. His research papers appeared in Indian and international journals, including the American Journal of Surgery. He was appointed Honorary Surgeon to two Presidents of India.

Colleagues remembered him as a passionate perfectionist with a warm, larger-than-life personality. “Surgery is not only about the knife,” he would tell his students. “It is about restoring a person’s ability to live fully.”

In 1986 he received the Hari Om Ashram Prerit Award for his work on urinary calculi. In 1991 the Government of India conferred the Padma Shri upon him.

Dr. Jai Pal Singh passed away on 24 September 1997 in Delhi. In 1999 the Association of Surgeons of India instituted an oration in his memory, ensuring that his contributions to surgery and medical education continue to be remembered.