Bhubaneswar: Eminent neurosurgeon, Padma Shri awardee and former Director of AIIMS Bhubaneswar, Professor (Dr) Ashok Kumar Mahapatra, died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, Monday evening.
He was 74. He had been admitted to AIIMS, New Delhi, since October 2 after initially receiving treatment at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar for a severe headache. As his condition deteriorated, a specialist medical team accompanied him to Delhi for advanced treatment.
He was widely recognised for leading the historic and complex surgery in 2017 to separate Odisha’s conjoined twins, Jaga and Balia, who were joined at the head. CM Mohan Charan Majhi, condoling the death, said Mahapatra had enriched the healthcare sector through his remarkable contributions to medical services and research, which would remain unforgettable.