Prof K Mohandas, former director of Sree Chitra Institute, passes away

Professor K Mohandas, who served as the second Director of Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, passed away on 09.10.2025 at 3.45 pm in peace at Bengaluru, surrounded by his family members. Prof Mohandas was known for his excellent clinical skills, leadership qualities and passion for innovations and technology development.

Prof. K Mohandas was a postgraduate in Anesthesiology from the Christian Medical College, Vellore, and an MD from the Medical College, Mysore. After a year as a faculty member at the Calicut Medical College, he joined as Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at the Sree Chitra Tirunal Medical Centre (the forerunner of the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology), Thiruvananthapuram, in 1976. He was the Chief Anaesthetist when the first open heart surgery was performed at the SCT Centre in 1976. After more than a decade as Professor and Head of the Department of Anaesthesia, SCTIMST, he was appointed as the Dean of the Institute in 1993.

He took over as the Institute’s Director in 1994. During his tenure as Director, new initiatives like the Comprehensive Center for Epilepsy, the Comprehensive Center for Movement Disorders, and Public Health Programs like MPH courses were initiated. Prof K Mohandas handed over his charge as the Director of SCTIMST on July 31, 2009. Recognising his professional, academic and research contributions to Anesthesiology, and his role in raising the profile of the speciality, the Royal College of Anaesthetists of the United Kingdom conferred the title of Fellow of the Royal College of Anaesthetists on him. Thus, he had the honour of being the first Indian to receive this Honorary Fellowship.

He also held various prestigious positions, including being the President of the Association of Indian Universities in 2004. He also served as the Chairperson of Commonwealth Universities from 2005 to 2007, which is the oldest and largest international association of universities in the world. He also served as the first Vice-Chancellor of the Kerala University of Health and Allied Sciences. Prof Mohandas was the longest serving University Head (Vice Chancellor) when he demitted office on 31st July 2009. The institute paid homage to the departed soul and expressed heartfelt condolences to his family members.