Nagpur, February 21 The 5th edition of the Lokmat Times Excellence in Healthcare Awards ceremony will be held in Nagpur on February 26, in the presence of the Governor of Maharashtra and Gujarat, Acharya Devvrat, and the state health and family welfare minister, Prakash Abitkar, who will be the guest of honour. The awards will be presented across multiple categories, including two Lifetime Achievement Awards (one for a male and one for a female), five Outstanding Contribution Awards (three from Nagpur and two from outside Nagpur), one Young Achiever Award, one Special Jury Award, one Social Service Award, one Research and Development Award, one Lokmat Times International Award, and 25 Popular Choice Awards.
Nagpur Mayor, Neeta Thakre, will attend the ceremony as a special guest, while the chairman of Lokmat Media Group and former member of the Rajya Sabha, Dr Vijay Darda, will also be prominently present.
The awardees have been selected by a robust and experienced Jury Board comprising eminent doctors in the healthcare sector. The Jury Board is chaired by senior physician, Dr Jay Deshmukh, with senior radiologist, Dr Raju Khandelwal, as its secretary.
Members of the Jury Board include Padma Shri, Dr Vikas Mahatme, Senior Ophthalmologist & Former MP; Padma Shri, Dr Chandrashekhar Meshram, senior neurologist; Dr Prashant P. Joshi, director, AIIMS Nagpur; Dr Ravi Chavan, dean, IGGMC – Mayo; Dr Prashant Jagtap, senior cardiologist and Dr Anand Pathak, senior oncosurgeon.
Other members of the jury include Dr Vasant Khalatkar, senior paediatrician & neonatologist; Dr Manjusha Giri, president-elect, IMA Maharashtra state; Dr Jaspal Arneja, senior cardiologist; Dr Sushma Deshmukh, senior gynaecologist; Dr Nilesh Agrawal, senior neuro-spinal surgeon; Dr Neeraj Baheti, senior neurophysician and Dr Ramakrishna Shenoi, senior dental surgeon.
The Lokmat Times Excellence in Healthcare Awards is a Lokmat Media Group initiative to recognize and honor eminent individuals in the medical profession in the region who have made outstanding and exemplary contributions to society through their professional commitment and dedication.
Guided by strict and objective criteria, the selection process remains transparent, rigorous, and entirely non-partisan. The entire process of selecting the awardees is unbiased, transparent, and the Jury Board has complete power and authority to make final decisions.
The event will be attended by dignitaries from various fields and a large number of doctors and medical students from leading medical colleges in the city.
The keynote address by Director of CSIR - National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur, Dr S Venkata Mohan, will be the main highlight of the event.
He will speak on the topic 'Air Pollution and Its Growing Threat to Public Health' and provide in-depth scientific insights into the rising levels of air pollution, its long-term effects on public health, and essential preventive measures.
In addition, an exclusive interview with internationally renowned ophthalmologist and research head, and senior consultant at NHG Eye Institute (Singapore), Dr Rupesh Agrawal, will serve as a rich source of knowledge for the doctors and the audience. He will share his experience and perspectives on modern ophthalmology, advanced research, technological innovations, and future treatment approaches.