His academic qualifications are as impressive as his demeanour. A resident of the port city of Visakhapatnam, this son of a small farmer is a native of Kintali village in Srikakulam District.
And he also boasts of having bagged a Padmasri in 2008 and followed it up the next year by getting into the Guinness Book of World Records for making the largest flag for HIV-AIDS awareness.
Now, Dr. Kutikuppala Surya Rao is again in the news for being chosen to receive the prestigious Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Sanman, at the House of Lords, the Upper House of British Parliament at the Global Indian Summit on behalf of the NRI Welfare Society of India on September 21.
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Expressing happiness at the honour, Dr. Rao said on Friday that based on his research on the internet, he was proud to say that he was the first doctor of Telugu origin to get the privilege. As a Consultant Physician at the Dr. Kutikuppala Surya Rao Hospital that he runs in Visakhapatnam, he constantly strives in developing affordable medicines and diagnostic tools for the HIV-AIDS.
His work against HIV-AIDS and increasing awareness has seen him deliver lectures at prestigious institutions across 72 nations. In the 3rd week of October, he will address the 20th Europe Region Conference of World Organisation of Family Doctors (WONCA) meeting at Istanbul in Turkey on increasing awareness, prevention and treatment of the dreaded disease.
“We need to fight on both counts - prevention and cure of the disease that hits the youth who account for a whopping 60 per cent of cases. The youngsters of this country need to be protected from it and only then India can achieve real, sustainable progress. Do you remember the last case of small pox being wiped out in 1978? Well, all I can say is that everyone in the country has to contribute to increasing awareness about a disease that could all but wipe out the youth of a country,” Dr. Rao said.
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