Prof. (Dr.) Ashok Kumar Mahapatra, one of India’s most distinguished neurosurgeons, a Padma Shri awardee, and the founding Director of AIIMS Bhubaneswar, passed away on Monday evening while undergoing treatment at AIIMS New Delhi. He was 73.
Born on December 29, 1952, in Puri, Odisha, Dr. Mahapatra had been admitted to SUM Hospital in Bhubaneswar after complaining of severe headache and head pain. He was shifted to AIIMS New Delhi on October 2 as his condition deteriorated, and he breathed his last while receiving care in the neurosurgery department. Reports indicate complications related to a brain-related issue.
Dr Mahapatra became a household name across India, and especially in Odisha, for leading the historic 2017 separation of craniopagus conjoined twins Jaga and Kalia (also referred to as Balia) from Kandhamal district. The multi-stage surgeries at AIIMS New Delhi — involving a large multidisciplinary team of around 30 specialists and lasting many hours across procedures — marked the first successful operation of its kind in India. He often described the case as a defining milestone in his career.
A native of Odisha who studied at MKCG Medical College in Berhampur before pursuing his MS and MCh in Neurosurgery at AIIMS Delhi, Dr Mahapatra spent nearly four decades associated with AIIMS New Delhi. He rose to become Head of the Department of Neurosurgery, Chief of the Neurosciences Centre, and Dean of Research. He also served as Director of the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) in Lucknow, Vice-Chancellor of Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA) University in Bhubaneswar, and most recently as its Principal Advisor (Health Sciences). As the founding Director of AIIMS Bhubaneswar (from 2012), he helped establish and shape the institution from its early years.
His contributions extended far beyond the operating theatre. He authored or contributed to hundreds of scientific papers and multiple books, mentored generations of surgeons, and was recognised among the world’s leading figures in pediatric neurosurgery. In 2022 he received the C.V. Raman Award for Scientific Excellence from the Odisha Bigyan Academy. In 2024 he was conferred the Padma Shri by the Government of India for his service in medicine; President Droupadi Murmu presented the award to him in 2025.
Colleagues and admirers remember him as a surgeon who consistently preferred operating when there was a realistic chance of saving a patient, and as a leader who combined clinical excellence with administrative vision and a deep connection to his Odisha roots. His passing has prompted tributes from the medical fraternity, state leadership, and well-wishers across India.
Dr Ashok Kumar Mahapatra’s work — particularly the landmark twins surgery and the foundational role he played at AIIMS Bhubaneswar — remains a lasting benchmark for Indian neurosurgery and medical institution-building.
