Santokh Singh Anand

Anand began his career in academia as a lecturer in Anatomy at Government Medical College, Amritsar, where he served from 1940 to 1943.^[1] He then joined King Edward Medical College, Lahore, as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery, working there until 1947.^[1] Following the partition of India, he relocated to Amritsar, where he became Professor of Surgery at Government Medical College, Amritsar.^[1] He held this position from 1947 to 1962, during which he also served as the Medical Superintendent of Victoria Jubilee Hospital, Amritsar, from 1956 to 1958.^[1] He was later appointed Principal of the Medical College, a role he held from 1958 to 1962.^[1]

In 1962, the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) was established in Chandigarh.^[4] Dr. S. S. Anand, along with Dr. Tulsi Das and Dr. Pran Nath Chhuttani, proposed the concept of the institute.^[4] With the support of Punjab Chief Minister Partap Singh Kairon and approval from Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, PGIMER was established.^[4] Anand was appointed as the institute's first Director and served in this capacity from 1963 to 1969, during which time he also served as Professor of Surgery.^[2]

After his tenure at PGIMER, Anand worked as Advisor and Secretary of Medical Education for the Government of Jammu & Kashmir from 1972 to 1975.^[2]

Anand held several distinguished academic and professional positions, including:

• Hunterian Professor at the Royal College of Surgeons of England (1956).^[5]
• Fellowship of the Rockefeller Foundation (1961).^[6]
• Visiting professor at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Hammersmith (1967).^[2]
• Honorary Consulting Surgeon to the Armed Forces of India (from 1968).^[2]
• Honorary Surgeon to first four President of India.^[7]

He also contributed to medical organizations:

• President, Association of Surgeons of India (1959)^[8] and its Thoracic Section (1960).^[1]
• President, Scientific Section of the Association of Chest Diseases.^[1]
• Vice-president, National Third World Conference on Medical Education, New Delhi (1966).^[1]
• Vice-president, Indian Academy of Medical Sciences.^[1]
• Member, Medical Council of India;^[9] Scientific Advisory Board of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
• President, Selection Board of the Union Public Service Commission.^[2]
• Fellow, Indian Academy of Medical Sciences;^[10] Senate and Syndicate of Panjab University and Punjabi University.^[1]

In 1977, the Medical Council of India awarded Anand the Dr. B. C. Roy Award in the category of "Eminent Medical Teacher in Surgery".^[9]

S. S. Anand died on 4 June 1996.^[3] In 2009, the Association of Surgeons of India established the Prof. Santokh Singh Anand Endowment Lecture in his memory to honour his contributions to surgery and medical education.^[2]