A well-qualified person opens up opportunities for oneself, and for many others who can be trained by him and by the institutions and subordinates he creates and nurtures. It requires a strong foundation of education. Dr Vijay Prakash knew this well. So, he chose to join Patna Medical College to work as an Assistant Professor in 1990 and taught for 32 years at this institution, guiding many undergraduate and postgraduate students. Many of his students are now successful doctors all across the country. Over time, he became head of the medicine department and took it to commanding heights. Despite being a brilliant medical student and a successful doctor, one of the reasons for joining Patna Medical College was his strong attachment to his alma mater and his state.
Childhood and Education
Vijay Prakash was the third child of Kamla Devi, a homemaker, and Assistant Sub Inspector Ramdutt Singh. He was born on 19 February 1954 in Banka Government Hospital. At four, he was admitted to a Mission School in Kahangaon, a sleepy village at the time. His father left his family at Kahalgaon to avoid the children’s frequent school changes with each transfer, ensuring they secured proper education to have a successful career and bright future ahead. He wished for them to overcome the extreme backwardness of their rural background.
Vijay Prakash and his siblings did not disappoint their father, and all of them excelled in their studies. Vijay Prakash maintained the top position in all his classes. Later, he was selected for admission to the prestigious Netarhat School. He topped the list of successful candidates (in the erstwhile state of Bihar) in the entrance
test for admission to the school. He completed his schooling in 1971 and was awarded the distinction of being the “Best Outgoing Student” of Neterhat School that year. After that, he secured admission to St. Xavier’s College, Ranchi, for higher studies, and emerged as the University Topper. After this, Vijay Prakash joined Patna Medical College and did his MBBS, with gold medals in many subjects; he was also awarded the best outgoing student in the year 1978. It was here that he met his life partner, Rashmi, who was studying in the same medical college and was a year junior to him. Dr Vijay Prakash further secured admission for postgraduation at the prestigious PGI, Chandigarh, through an All India competitive exam and completed his MD in 1982 with a high score and as the branch topper. Subsequently, he joined the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) as its first doctor on 27 July 1984. In 1988, Dr Prakash went to the UK, where he completed MRCP successfully and in a record time of just four months.
Post-retirement from Patna Medical College in February 2021, driven by his indomitable spirit to serve humanity, Dr Vijay Prakash established Big Apollo Spectra Hospital, a multi-super speciality hospital in Patna. At this hospital, state-of-the-art treatment is provided at an affordable cost. Under his astute leadership as Senior Consultant and Director, the institute has grown by leaps and bounds. His wife, Dr Rashmi, currently serves as the Head of the Department of Community Medicine at Patna Medical College. His son, Ravi, assists him in his professional work, and his daughter, Ritu, and her husband, Saket, serve as associate professors in Critical Care and GI Surgery at IGIMS, Patna.
Dr Vijay Prakash, at 69, leads an active life and looks forward to achieving many more feats. He has authored and published many articles in various medical journals, besides participating in national and international conferences. He has been a member of the Governing Council of the National Board of Examinations (NBE) and the Executive Council of the Medical Council of India – a rare distinction achieved by only a handful of doctors. For his immense contribution to medicine and gastroenterology,
Dr Prakash was awarded the Padma Shri by Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (the then President of India) in 2003.
Dr Prakash was awarded the Padma Shri by Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (the then President of India) in 2003
