Prema Dhanraj

Prema Dhanraj is a plastic surgeon who has spent her career treating burn injuries and helping survivors rebuild their lives. She was named for the Padma Shri in 2024 in the field of medicine, from Karnataka ^[1].

Surgeon

She was born on 30 June 1950 ^[2]. She studied science at Bangalore University, medicine at Karnatak University, surgery at Madras University, and plastic surgery at Punjab University, finishing in 1988 ^[2]. From 1980 to 2010 she worked at the Christian Medical College, Vellore, where she became head of plastic surgery in 1998 ^[2]. There she started a plastic surgery training programme for doctors from India, Ethiopia and Kenya, and designed and built a burns unit ^[2].

She has operated in the USA, Norway, Ethiopia, the UK, Kenya and Australia as well as in India, and has published 120 articles and five books ^[2]. From 2010 to 2021 she set up the plastic surgery department and training programme at Rajarajeswari Medical College in Bengaluru ^[2].

Agni Raksha

In 1999 she founded Agni Raksha in Bengaluru, in memory of her parents, to care for burn survivors from poor families, especially women and children ^[2]. Besides medical care, it offers skills training, job placement, self-help groups, home dressing care, physiotherapy and counselling, and helps children with burns return to school ^[2]. She also campaigns to prevent burn injuries ^[2].

She received the Swastha Bharat Samman from the Government of India in 2013 ^[2].