Shantilal C. Sheth

Shantilal Chhaganlal Sheth (1912–1990) was an Indian pediatrician and the president of several medical institutions including the Medical Council of India, the apex body for matters related to medical administration and education in India. An honorary surgeon commander at the Indian Navy, he served as the honorary physician to the President of India. The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan, in 1972, for his contributions to medicine.

Biography Born on 29 October 1912 at Palitana, in the Indian state of Gujarat in a Jain family to Chhaganlal Narandas Sheth, an auditor, Sheth did his early education at Harris High School, Palitana and graduated in medicine from Grant Medical College and Sir Jamshedjee Jeejeebhoy Group of Hospitals, Mumbai in 1937. after which he served as the general secretary and the president of the academy. When the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare constituted the Committee on Essential Drugs in 1966, he was nominated as a member though the tenure was short. He was the president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) during 1965–66 and served as the president of the Medical Council of India from 1965 to 1975. An honorary fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Royal College of Physicians of London, He served as the honorary physician to the President of India and the Indian Navy honored him with an honorary rank of the Surgeon Commander. The son, Shirish Sheth, is a known gynecologist and medical academic while the daughter, Leena Dasani, is a chartered accountant.