Dr. Vitthalbhai Chotabhai Patel (1932 – January 2014), commonly known as Dr. Vitthalbhai Patel, was a distinguished Indian surgeon, medical educationist and public figure from Gujarat. He received the Padma Shri in 1989 and the Dr. B.C. Roy National Award for his contributions to socio-medical relief and medical education.

Born in 1932 into a business family in Pandoli village, Kheda district, Gujarat, he trained as a surgeon and went to the United Kingdom, where he obtained the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS). Returning to India, he established Sanjiv Hospital in Vadodara (Baroda) in 1968. Over a career spanning 45 years he became well known for his surgical work, including path-breaking procedures in cardiac surgery, and practised not only in Vadodara but across India.

He combined clinical excellence with public service. In the late 1970s he entered politics with the Congress party, served as a municipal councillor of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (1980–1986), and was elected Mayor of Vadodara in 1983. He also held leadership positions in the medical profession: President of the Gujarat State Surgeons Association (1974), member of the All India Surgeons Association, and President of the Indian Medical Association (1999–2000).

In 1985 he received the Dr. B.C. Roy National Award in the socio-medical category. Four years later the Government of India conferred on him the Padma Shri for his work in public affairs, socio-medical relief and medical education.

Colleagues and patients remembered him as a surgeon who combined technical skill with a strong sense of social responsibility. He believed medical care should reach beyond the privileged and that doctors had a duty to contribute to civic life.

Dr. Vitthalbhai Patel died in January 2014 at the age of 81 after a severe heart attack. He was survived by his wife and four daughters. His funeral procession began from the hospital he had founded, attended by colleagues, civic leaders and members of the public who had benefited from his long years of service.