Dr. Bishnu Prasad Nanda has taken over as Director-General, Indian Railway Health Services. He has joined at the apex post of the health department in Asia’s second-largest rail transporter. Before this, Dr. Nanda served as Principal Chief Medical Director, Southern Railway.
Dr. Nanda was selected for what was then known as the Indian Railway Medical Services (IRMS) after securing the first position in the Combined Medical Services Examination of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in 1983. He formally joined IRMS on November 14, 1984, in Kharagpur Divisional Hospital of South Eastern Railway.
On completion of his probation, Dr. Nanda was posted as Assistant Divisional Medical Officer at Chhindwara Health Unit in Madhya Pradesh under Nagpur Division and later transferred to Hatia Railway Hospital, Ranchi, where he served for seven years. Subsequently, he was transferred to Mancheswar Railway Hospital, Bhubaneswar. Dr. Nanda did his post-graduation in ENT from Mumbai University, Bombay from 1994-97 and was posted as ENT specialist at Adra Divisional Railway Hospital where he had served for 15 years from 1997-2012.
After Promotion to SAG level as Chief Medical Superintendent of Chakradharpur Division, Dr. Nanda started his administrative career and continued to be Superintendent in Adra (Eastern Railway) and Madras (Southern Railways) till 2018 before being elevated to the rank of Principal Chief Medical Director of Southern Railways, which consists of six divisional hospitals including the prestigious, Perambur Railway Hospital at Ayanavaram.
As Principal Chief Medical Director of Southern Railways, Dr. Nanda was instrumental in implementing the e-procurement of medicines and surgicals for the zone. He also encouraged academic activities to update the IRHS cadre with the latest developments in medicine. Two continuing medical education (CME) programmes at zonal level and one at all India CME were conducted during his tenure.