Dr. Raghunath Saran was a 20th century physician best known for serving as the personal physician to the first president of India, Rajendra Prasad. In 1962 Saran received the Padma Bhushan. After completing his training in England, Saran returned to Bihar where he set up free clinics for the poor.

Remarkable Physician, Spirited Philanthropist

This is the birth centenary year of Dr. Raghunath Saran (1886-1982). An outstanding physician, Dr. Saran led a spartan life and was admired and adulated by a large number of people whom he served in various ways. He truly believed in the dictum 'service to man is service to God' and set an exemplary example for his fellow physicians. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad for his remarkable contribution to the field of medicine. K.N. Sahaya, former Mayor of Patna, who saw the physician-philantropist from close quarters, pays centenary tribute to Dr. Saran.

Dr. Raghunath Saran was an excellent physician and a passionate philanthropist. There was always a predominance of benevolence in his expression. To him the proper treatment of a patient was always the first priority and the monetary gains secondary. Whoever was the patient, whether rich or poor, political leader or a mere social volunteer, a friend or foe, the patient's treatment and care was always first. I vividly remember many incidents which illustrate his innate modesty and spirit to serve humanity.

Just to mention a few, my brother-in-law had some problem with his teeth which needed extraction. I had mwntioned to him that there wasa very good Chinese doctor in Patna and he should see him. He failed to tell the doctor about his high blood pressure and the doctor did not ask him either for such information. He extracted two of his teeth. When he came back home, the bleeding did not stop and he was getting weaker and weaker. Dr. Saran was called. He felt it was serious, gave him medicines and called Dr. R.V.P. Sinha to stand by for an emergency operation in case the bleeding did not stop and remained at the bedside throughout till the emergency lasted. On another occasion at night I felt very uneasy with sweating and high pulse rate. Dr. Saran was called. But before his arrival another doctor who was at hand had come and said that there was nothing serious and it was just a phase that will pass off. Dr. Saran arrived. He quickly administered some life-saving drug and was with me till late in the morning and had only left after my condition had stabilised.

A friend of mine told me much later that a very poor man was in a similar predicament somewhere in Bakarganj and Dr. Saran stayed at the patient’s shack beside him for hours together till his condition improved.

Born on September 7, 1896 in an illustrious Kayastha family in Chapra, Dr. Saran, after taking his medical degree in India, went to England and became a fellow of The Royal College of Surgeons and Physicians in 1927. Because of his brilliant educational career in India and abroad he received many offers of employment in medical colleges and other establishments. But he felt himself out of tune for job-oriented employment. He wanted to serve humanity as a free medical practitioner.

He used to shun publicity and fanfare. The then President, late Dr. Rajendra Prasad was to award him the prestigious “Padma Bhushan”. He had sent message that he was reluctant to accept the same. He was a man of high thinking and low living in true sense of the term. If you met him, you would not accept that you are face to face with a great scholar and a person of such high ability. You would consider you are before an ordinary doctor in white trousers and an ordinary jacket with a pocket watch in the top pocket, its chain dangling, a man of few words, examining you with a stethoscope. When he had finished examining, one would immediately feel that his problem was already diminished by fifty per cent. But at the same time, when he wrote the prescription for your problem, giving therein a detailed doses of medicines, you would start doubting his acumen. He used to say that the manufacturer of the medicine does not know the extent of your problem, nor does he know your size. It is for the doctor to decide. Some of the doctors of modern age considered him an old time doctor. Little did they know his views. I found myself that they were totally wrong when I saw him engrossed late in the evenings studying up-to-date medical journals and research papers. He was for effective and short cut method to achieve results. Dr. Saran had a sixth sense in the realm of diagnosing a disease you were suffering from. I remember my uncle became very ill and some doctor diagnosed that he was suffering from jaundice, some other doctor of eminence felt it was a case of cirrhosis of the liver, but when Dr. Saran examined him, he took me aside and said that he was suffering from a malignant cancer of the liver and that he should be immediately removed to hospital. We took him to Bombay. The doctor there felt it was a bad case of cancer. My uncle was removed to USA and died there of cancer of the liver.

The President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad was seriously ill with haemorrhage in the stomach. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru sent a plane to Patna to bring Dr. Saran and Dr. TN Bannerjee, his old personal physician. The President being the supreme commander of all armed forces was being treated by army doctors who were insisting on a surgical probe. Both Dr. Saran and Dr. Banerjee disagreed and wanted medicinal treatment first. The specialists in USA and UK through our embassies were in constant consultation. These two doctors prescribed some medicines but the army doctors were reluctant and they said that they would not take the risk on account of the profuse bleeding. Dr. Saran emphatically said: “What if the surgery fails and this should be the last recourse? You keep on pumping blood and we shall keep on administering medicine till the bleeding stops.” The doctors abroad also agreed with the suggestion. These two doctors from Patna gave proper medicines and the life of the President was saved.

When Dr. Saran started his practice, the legendary J.P.’s (Jaiprakash Narayan) father was his first patient and later JP himself was his patient. When his fame grew as a medical practitioner, he had many famous personalities as his patients. When Gandhiji came to Patna after his famous healing march in Noakhali, Dr. Saran treated him and another famous surgeon of Patna, late Dr. UP Sinha operated him for appendicitis. When Dr. Lohia was seriously ill at Delhi, Dr. saran was summoned to examine him. He was honorary physician to President Dr. Rajendra Prasad and he was also personal physician to Dr. Anugrah Narain Sinha and Mr. Jagjivan Ram. Dr. Saran was a great philanthropist. He took responsibility for the education of many poor students and marriages of many poor girls and also provided assistance to poor widows. It did not end there. His attitude w sthe same for his poor patients. I quote just one case. A poor government clerk from Arrah came to take him for getting his wife treated who was critically ill. Dr. Saran agreed and asked the man to arrange for a taxi to take him to Arrah. A taxi was hired by the person who also paid Dr. saran some money in advance against his fee, the balance to be paid at Arrah.

Dr. Saran went, examined the patient and wrote down the prescription. The gentleman returned with him to Patna to buy the medicines. When they came back to Patna, Dr. Saran asked the taxi driver his charges and he paid the same, asking the driver to return the advance he had taken from the gentleman from Arrah.

This is his birth centenary year and we will pray for his peaceful eternal rest. Dr. Saran died on the 25th of October, 1982 leaving behind a trail of good deeds for the younger generation to learn and benefit.

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