Prema Dhanraj

Prema Dhanraj
Born (1950-06-30) 30 June 1950 (age 76)
Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
OccupationPlastic surgeon
AwardsPadma Shri (2024)

Prema Dhanraj (born 30 June 1950) is an Indian plastic surgeon. She was awarded with Padma Shri in Medicine in 2024. She is also known as 'Agni Rakshak' (lit. 'fire warden') for saving thousands of burn victimcs. She also authored three book about plastic surgery.

Life

Dhanraj is originally from Vellore, Tamil Nadu. At the age of eight she survived with 50% of burns when due to stove burst. She had 14 surgeries at Christian Medical College, Vellore. She complete her MBBS at KIMS, Hubballi in 1980, MS in surgery at Madras University in 1986, Master in Chirurgery in Plastic Surgery at Panjab University in 1988 and MD at Christian Medical College, Ludhiana.

Agni Raksha

Dhanraj and her sister founded Agni Raksha, a NGO, in 1999 to help burn victims. Through Agni Raksha she did more than 25000 plastic surgeries free of cost.

Awards

References

  1. 1 2 "Profile page at Padma Shri website" (PDF).
  2. 1 2 Khanna, Rishita (2024-01-29). "Burns survivour once admitted to CMS now doc in same hospital, wins Padma Shri". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
  3. ↑ "Tribal welfare worker, plastic surgeon win Padma Shri award from Karnataka". The Indian Express. 2024-01-26. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
  4. ↑ "Crusader for tribal rights, plastic surgeon who made a mission out of personal tragedy in Padma Awards list". The Hindu. 2024-01-25. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
  5. ↑ "Unsung Heroes: Prema Dhanraj, a plastic surgeon giving new lease of life to burn victims". The Indian Express. 2024-02-11. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
  6. ↑ IANS (2024-04-22). "Padma awards: Prema Dhanraj, a burns survivor who rose to be a pioneer in reconstructive surgery". IANS News. Retrieved 2026-11-02.