Dr. K. T. Bhowmik
5-7-1957 to 9-1-2023
Gone from our sight, but never from our hearts. There are examples of some great men who are kind, noble and who touched the lives of many. Dr Bhowmik was one of them.
Dr Bhowmik was born on 5th July 1957 in the city of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. His father was in the air force and instilled in him the values and principles of discipline and hard work since the beginning. Dr Bhowmik studied in different cities of India like New Delhi, Coimbatore and Sulur. An extremely bright and hard-working student Dr Bhowmik had always dreamt to be a doctor. His efforts paid off as he studied in the most prestigious institutions of the country. He completed his under graduation from JIPMER, Pondicherry in 1978 which was followed by MD in Radiation Oncology from AIIMS Delhi, completed in 1983. He did his senior residency from the same institute after that. He also did Diploma in Radiation Medicine from BARC, Mumbai in 1989.
His professional journey started as Lecturer in BHU, Varanasi and he then came to Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi in 1991. He was responsible for making the department as one of the most reputed, high volume centres and one of the best teaching institutes in the country. Dr Bhowmik was known by one and all as one of the pioneers in the field of radiation oncology in the country. He served as Additional Medical Superintendent and also Medical Superintendentin the same hospital during his tenure. In 2019, he became the Additional Director General of Health Services, Government of India and was posted to the ministry
Till his retirement, he served as the Principal Consultant, Department of Radiation Oncology at Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi.
He has contributed a lot to the Association of Radiation Oncologists of India (AROI). He had served as General Secretary of AROI as well. He was also the Chief election commissioner of AROI for many years. He conducted several elections without any dispute. If any constitution related matter was there, Dr Bhowmik solved the problem easily.
He was rightly known as the “Constitution man of AROI”
His hobbies were reading and sports particularly tennis and hockey.He was the recent AFI Medical Committee Chairman. He was a very rare combination of medical expertise and an interest in sport. An avid sports fan, his contribution to athletics was immense. Dr Bhowmik had umpired in bothtennis and hockey. He umpired in many Davis Cup tournaments held in India.Going to the Tokyo Olympics was a dream come true for him where he was the Chief Medical Officer for the Indian contingent. He played a key role in ensuring the medical safety of the athletes and support staff during the challenging times of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Unfortunately, on 9th January 2023, Dr Bhowmik left for his heavenlyabode at the age of 65 years. Dr Bhowmik was a compassionate soul and an inspiration to us all. The void he has left behind can never be filled however his legacy lives on.