Doctor Who Treated Nehru Dies At 96

Gobinda Chandra Dash, a noted physician of Kendrapara town, who treated Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964 during his visit to Bhubaneswar, died at his residence today, an NDTV report said.

He was 96. He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.

Dash had treated the former prime minister when he fell ill when he was addressing the 68th session of the Indian National Congress here in January, 1964.

Dash was then posted as the personal physician of the governor of Odisha. He had conducted the medical checkup of Nehru and requested him to cancel all engagements and advised him to take complete rest for the next six days which the then prime minister complied to.

Indira Gandhi was then at her father’s side during most of the days of confinement.

Nehru died on May 27, 1964 after suffering a stroke in New Delhi.

Dash was among the pass outs of the first batch of students of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack in 1944. After securing his MBBS degree, he worked for eight years from 1949 in the Indian army and was posted in Punjab, Pune and other places. 

In 1958 he started working in SCB Medical College and Hospital and worked as the personal physician of the governor from 1959 to 1964. After his retirement, Dash treated patients in his house in Kendrapara town.

Kendrapara MLA Sashibhusan Behera and other personlaities of the town condoled his death.