Dr. Jitendra Kumar Singh is an Indian

oncologist Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...

, the ex director of

Mahavir Cancer Institute & Research Centre Mahavira (Sanskrit: महावीर) also known as Vardhaman, was the 24th ''tirthankara'' (supreme preacher) of Jainism. He was the spiritual successor of the 23rd ''tirthankara'' Parshvanatha. Mahavira was born in the early part of the 6t ...

and the president of ''Cancer Care India'', the apex body for cancer support organisations in India. He was honoured by the

Government of India The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

, in 2012, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is confe ...

Early life

Jitendra Kumar Singh was born to a

freedom fighter A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objective ...

, in the village of Majhauni of

Banka district Banka is one of the thirty-eight districts of the state of Bihar in India. The district headquarters of Banka is situated in Banka town. The district was established on 21 February 1991. History Banka is the homeland of the revolutionary Sati ...

, in the Indian state of

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...

in 1952. He did his schooling at SMP School, Jethour and graduated in medicine, with

National Merit Scholarship The National Merit Scholarship Program is a United States academic scholarship competition for recognition and university scholarships administered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), a privately funded, not-for-profit organizati ...

, from the erstwhile

Prince of Wales Medical College Patna Medical College and Hospital (abbreviated as PMCH) was established in 1925 and originally known as Prince of Wales Medical College, is a medical college located in Patna, the state capital of Bihar, India. It is located on the southern b ...

, (present day Patna Medical College) under

Patna University Patna University is a public state university in Patna, Bihar, India. It was established on 1 October 1917 during the British Raj. It is the first university in Bihar and the seventh oldest university in the Indian subcontinent in the modern er ...

in 1975. His post graduation was in

Radiotherapy Radiation therapy or radiotherapy, often abbreviated RT, RTx, or XRT, is a therapy using ionizing radiation, generally provided as part of cancer treatment to control or kill malignant cells and normally delivered by a linear accelerator. Ra ...

which he completed in 1980 from the same university. He also did advanced training at

Tata Memorial Hospital The Tata Memorial Hospital is situated in Parel, Mumbai, in India. Also popularly known as TMH. It is a specialist cancer treatment and research centre, closely associated with the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer ...

, Mumbai during 1985–86. Jitendra Kumar Singh started his career as a faculty member at the Radium Institute of

Patna Medical College and Hospital Patna Medical College and Hospital (abbreviated as PMCH) was established in 1925 and originally known as Prince of Wales Medical College, is a medical college located in Patna, the state capital of Bihar, India. It is located on the southern b ...

where he worked for 14 years before joining

Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital is a government medical college having hospital facilities at Darbhanga, Bihar. It was established in the year 1946. College is currently affiliated with Aryabhatta Knowledge University. History The m ...

as an additional professor. In 1981, he joined

Mahavir Cancer Sansthan Mahavira (Sanskrit: महावीर) also known as Vardhaman, was the 24th ''tirthankara'' (supreme preacher) of Jainism. He was the spiritual successor of the 23rd ''tirthankara'' Parshvanatha. Mahavira was born in the early part of the 6t ...

as its director, a post he holds till September 2014, and currently he is serving S.S.Hospital and Director.

Achievements

Jitendra Kumar Singh joined Mahavir Cancer Sansthan as the director when it was in the third year of its existence. The institution, during his tenure, is reported to have grown from a 100 bedded hospital to be rated as the second largest cancer hospital in India with facilities to accommodate 450 in-patients attended to by 125 doctors, 18 radiologists and 700 staff. The hospital is reported to have a patient roll of 300,000 with 26,500 new patients added every year. Jitendra Singh is known to have been active in the cancer awareness programs in the state of Bihar and his efforts are reported behind the establishment of a community oncology department at Mahavir Cancer Sansthan. He has also contributed to many cancer awareness campaigns such as the one with the participation of celebrities like

Hema Malini Hema Malini (born 16 October 1948) is an Indian actress, director, producer, and politician. She is primarily known for her work in Hindi films. Known for starring in both comic and dramatic roles, she is one of the most popular and successful ...

, Ram Nath Kovind

Shabana Azmi Shabana Azmi (born 18 September 1950) is an Indian actress of Hindi film, television and theatre. One of India's most acclaimed actresses, Azmi is known for her portrayals of distinctive, often unconventional female characters across several ge ...

and

Shatrughan Sinha Shatrughan Prasad Sinha (born 9 December 1945) is an Indian actor and politician. He is a Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha from Asansol constituency as a member of All India Trinamool Congress (TMC). Earlier he was elected as Member of Parliame ...

. Singh is known to have been active in research and has served as the principal investigator in 25 national and international clinical trials of cancer medicines. He has headed 12 major projects initiated by the

Department of Science and Technology Department of Science and Technology may refer to: *Department of Science and Technology (Australia), an Australian Government department between November 1980 and December 1984 * Department of Science and Technology (India) * Department of Science ...

and the

Indian Council of Medical Research The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest and largest medical research bodies in the world. The ICMR is funded by the Gove ...

such as the ''Task Force for

Gallbladder carcinoma Gallbladder cancer is a relatively uncommon cancer, with an incidence of fewer than 2 cases per 100,000 people per year in the United States. It is particularly common in central and South America, central and eastern Europe, Japan and northern Ind ...

''. He is also known to have contributed to the development of palliative care of cancer in the country. Singh is an examiner of the Diplomate of National Board of Examinations and is an accredited supervisor of post graduate courses in many colleges. He is the president of ''Cancer Care India'', the apex body of cancer organisations in India and the ''Association of Gynaecological Oncologist of India'' and has served as the president of the Indian Brachytherapy Society and the Indian Association of Hyperthermic Oncology and Medicine. He is the secretary of the ''Indian Society of Oncology'' and has served ''Dr. Shantha Breast Cancer Foundation'' (SBKF)(former Breast Cancer Foundation), India, as its secretary. Singh is also credited with around 80 articles published in national and international journals. Dr. Singh is a rare doctor to be inclined spiritually. He uses spirituality profusely du ring his counseling sessions with cancer patients. He never practices paternalism, rather encourages the patients to take the medical advice and believe in God. Many of the patients are inclined. The results are miraculous at times, especially if the patients and the relatives have full faith. Dr. J. K. Singh is very active in organising scientific conferences and seminars. He has been actively invloed in organising more than 100 scientific conferences. Also Dr. Singh is known for organising outreach cancer awareness program in entire Bihar

Awards and honours

Jitendra Kumar Singh, a 1995 Fellow of the ''Indian College of Radiation Oncology'', was awarded the ''Pratibha Samman'' in 2009. In 2010, he received the ''Gunilla Bental Oration Award'' from Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre. The same year, Indian Institute of Business Management, Patna conferred honorary MBA degree on him. The

awarded him the civilian honour of

in 2012. Dr Singh is now The National Vice-President Indian Medical Association elected in June 2014.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Jitendra Kumar 1952 births Living people Recipients of the Padma Shri in medicine Scientists from Patna Indian medical writers Indian medical researchers Indian oncologists Patna University alumni Academic staff of Patna University 20th-century Indian medical doctors Medical doctors from Bihar