Dr. Harsh Mahajan

Dr. Harsh Mahajan is an eminent radiologist and a pioneer in the field of Magnetic Resonance Imaging of India. The national honour of Padma Shri was conferred on him by the government of India in the year 2002, for his contribution to the field of radiology in India. After specializing in Radiology from PGIMER, Chandigarh, he was awarded a Rotary Foundation International Scholarship and went to the world famous M.D Anderson Cancer Hospital at Houston, Texas, USA for a superspecialist fellowship in Magnetic Resonance Imaging in 1987. He did original research in cancer imaging using MRI and published several clinical research papers in leading international medical journals. Despite being offered a permanent job on the faculty of this hospital he preferred to come back to India with a dream of bringing the latest technology of India.

Though belonging to a middle class family of teachers, due to his untiring efforts, he set up the GMR Institute of Imaging and Research at Pusa Road, New Delhi in March 1992. This institute became a referral centre where patients from whole of North, Central, East and north East India were referred for MRI. Dr. Mahajan worked with a missionary zeal charging full rates from rich patients and for patients from the lower socioeconomic strata, scans were done at varying degrees of concession or totally free of charge. Several thousand poor patients have had their scans done free of charge in his institute, including patients referred from AIIMS, RML Hospital, GB Pant Hospital and PGIMER, Chandigarh. Due to his social service and his total commitment to the under privileged and those from lower socioeconomic strata he has been able to help in the proper treatment of thousand of poor patients. He later added CT, Ultrasound and X-ray facilities in this centre.

Knowledge about MRI was lacking in the Indian medical community and Dr. Mahajan has worked over the last two decades to spread knowledge about it in the country. He has delivered over 350 guest lectures on MRI at national and regional conferences of various branches of medicine, addressed CME’s in different cities and towns of India, medical colleges and state IMA meetings, etc. He has himself organized several conferences, symposia and workshops on MRI, providing continuing medical education to radiologists, physicians and surgeons. Over 50 Indian and a few foreign (Sri Lankan) radiologists have been trained in MRI personally by Dr. Mahajan in his institute.

In 1997 Dr. Mahajan set up another centre in Green Park, New Delhi equipped with the world’s latest and best 1.5 Tesla MRI scanner. This was the first machine of its type in Europe and Asia and became the first centre in whole of south-east Asia to start functional MRI. This took radiological diagnosis to the cutting edge comparable to the best centers in the world and won laurels for the country.

As a result of his technical expertise in radiology, Dr. Mahajan was appointed as Honorary Radiologist to the President of India in 1998, becoming the first ever radiologist to be so honoured. This honour spurred Dr. Mahajan to work harder to upgrade medical facilities in Delhi and in July 2000, he started a state-of-the-art nuclear Medicine and Bone Densitometry Centre at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi. This is equipped with a whole body DEXA Bone Densitometer and a Duel-head SPECT Gamma Camera. This centre too has added greatly to the health care facilities of Delhi. In July 2001, he started another MRI centre in the medically backward state of Uttaranchal in Dehradun. This was part of his vision to bring hi-tech diagnostic facilities to remote areas of the country. In keeping with the same vision he got into a public private partnership (PPP) with the Uttaranchal Government to run the MRI centre at Doon Hospital, Dehradun(2009). Subsequently he opened up centres at Jaipur Golden Hospital, New Delhi (2002), Fortis Jessa Ram Hospital, New Delhi (2004) and both radiology and nuclear medicine at Fortis Flt. Lt. Rajan Dhall Hospital, New Delhi(2006). In 2007 he went a step ahead and installed the country’s first private run PET-CT at Mahajan Nuclear Medicine Centre at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi. His latest acquisition is India’s first Cone Beam CT(CBCT) scanner which has redefined dental and maxillofacial surgery planning and diagnostics.

Dr. Mahajan has had an exceptional career and apart from his deep knowledge of his subject, his teaching abilities, spirit of entrepreneurship what really sets him apart is his human approach and kindness and the fact that any poor patient that comes to his centre can get an MRI scan done free of charge. The social service rendered by him through his institutes is exemplary. Dr. Mahajan has many achievements and has received several awards and honors in his career, some of which are listed below.

• National honor of PADMA SHRI was conferred on him by the government of India in the year 2002, for his contribution to the field of radiology in India.
• Honorary Physician to the President of India. The first radiologist to be ever so appointed.
• OISCA Laureate (1999)-An award given by the Ambassador of Japan in recognition of his contribution to the field of radiology.
• President-India Radiological and Imaging  Association, Delhi (2000).
• Secretary-Delhi Neurosciences Group (1998).
• Joint. Secretary-Indian Society of Neuroradiology (1997-1999).
• First radiologist  in India to start work on all aspects of functional MRI in India.
• Member, advisory board on MRI of GE Medical Systems, Asia.
• Vice President-Indian Society of Neuroradiology (2001).
• Chairman, Organising Committee, 8th Annual Congress of Indian Society of Neuroradiology Nov 2005.

• Delivered over 550 guest lectures in regional, national and international conferences, symposia and workshops in the last 15 years. These lectures helped in creating awareness of newer techniques especially MRI and lead to better diagnosis and treatment of patients.
• Organized various conferences, CME’s and symposia in the field of Radiology and Imaging in Delhi.
• Trained over 80 Indian and several foreign (Sri Lankan) Radiologists in the superspeciality field of MRI.
• Chairman of scientific session in Asian-Oceanian Congress of Radiology-1992.
• Chairman of scientific session in International Congress of Radiology-1997.
• Technical Expert of making several govt. sponsored educational programmes on MRI and CT scanning for Doordarshan for University Grants Commission. These have been shown many times on national network to create awareness among the people at large.
• Assisted in publishing booklets in Hindi and English to spread knowledge about EPILEPSY and PARKINGSON’S DISEASE.
• Rotary International Foundation Scholar-1987.

• Author of over 30 radiology and imaging articles published in national and international medical journals. Few original articles on MRI in cancer are quoted in international medical journals and books.
• Author of a book on neuroanatomy- Brain Work Book.
• Author of a chapter on cardiac MRI in Text Book of Medicine published by Associations of Physicians in India.

Being dedicated to bringing hi-tech medical facilities to the underprivileged of the society, several thousand poor patients have had their MRI, CT, Ultrasound and X-ray scans done free of charge at his centres and he is ever willing to help any person who is needy.