The medical community mourns the passing of Dr. Jagdev Singh Guleria, a distinguished physician and cardiologist who served as former Dean of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. Dr. Guleria died at his home in Delhi on January 22, 2026, at the age of 98. He left behind an extraordinary legacy of clinical excellence and mentorship.
Dr. Jagdev Singh Guleria was born in the small village of Manjara in Himachal Pradesh. He grew up in a village without electricity until the late 1970s. He walked nearly five kilometers each day to attend school, sometimes crossing a river along the way.
He completed his MBBS in 1953 and his master’s degree (MD) in 1957 from Punjab University. In 1958, he made the bold decision to resign from a secure position to join the newly established AIIMS in Delhi. Dr. Guleria earned a DM in Cardiology from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, in 1962 and joined AIIMS as a faculty member, marking the beginning of his academic and clinical career.
Dr. Guleria was on duty at AIIMS when former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was brought to the institute after being shot by militants in October 1984, and he attended to the former prime minister before she was declared dead.
He chaired the AIIMS Ethics Committee, which investigated irregularities at AIIMS, including charges leveled against the then director of the institution, Panangipalli Venugopal. He was one of two physicians, the other being K. K. Malhotra, delegated to examine Jayaprakash Narayan during his incarceration during the Emergency period.
Dr. Guleria was renowned for his exceptional diagnostic skills in an era before modern imaging technology. As colleagues recalled, “There was no ultrasound, no CT scan, no MRI. Diagnosis depended on clinical examination. And in that art… Dr. Guleria stood at the very top.”
His clinical practice developed during a period when diagnostic technologies such as ultrasound, CT, and MRI were unavailable. His approach relied on careful history-taking and physical examination.
Dr. Guleria also participated in national and international health initiatives, including work associated with the World Health Organization’s Health For All (HFA) initiative.
After retiring from AIIMS in 1987, Dr. Guleria was asked to assist in establishing the Department of Medicine at the University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS), East Delhi. He worked there for several years, contributing to the development of the newly built institution.
He later practiced medicine at the Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research, where he continued to see patients for more than three decades.
Dr. Guleria was a Fellow of several professional bodies, including the National Academy of Medical Sciences, the American College of Chest Physicians, the Indian Academy of Medical Sciences, and the Indian College of Chest Physicians. He was also among the founder fellows of the Indian College of Physicians.
The Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri in 2003 in recognition of his contributions to medicine. He was also honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014 by AIIMS.
Dr. Guleria is survived by his two sons named Dr. Randeep Guleria, former Director of AIIMS and currently Chairman of the Institute of Internal Medicine & Respiratory and Sleep Medicine at Medanta and Dr. Sandeep Guleria, a transplant surgeon. Both of his sons are Padma Shri awardees.