Kochi: Noted Interventional cardiologist Padmashri Dr Mathew Samuel Kalarickal, 77, known as the father of angioplasty in India passed away in Chennai on Friday, media reports saud.
Dr Mathew had specialized in coronary angioplasty, carotid stenting, coronary stenting and rotablator atherectomy.
Born on January 6, 1948, in Kottayam in Kerala, Dr Mathew chose to pursue medical profession after completing college education
at Union Christian College, Aluva.
After passing out from Government Medical College, Kottayam, in 1974, Dr Mathew did his Masters from Stanley Medical College, Chennai, in 1978 and completed super speciality, DM, from Madras Medical College, Chennai, in 1981.
After working in India initially, Dr Mathew
moved to Jakarta tol work at Medistra Hospital, and later at the Royal Hospital, Muscat, Oman.
He went to the United States to get
trained under Dr Andreas Gruentzig, known as the father of coronary angioplasty.
Dr Mathew returned home in 1985 to join Apollo Hospitals, Chennai.
Kalarickal was the Director, Interventional Cardiology and Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratories, Apollo Hospitals, Chennai. He was also a visiting Interventional Cardiologist at hospitals across India.
He was the founder of the National Angioplasty Registry of India, which is a forum for interventional cardiologists of the country to learn from each other, streamline the standard of procedure and maintain international standards.
Dr Mathew was the President, Asian-Pacific Society of Interventional Cardiology, from 1995 to 1997 and Chairman of Interventional Cardiology, Asian-Pacific Society of Cardiology, from 1995 to 1999.
Dr Mathew was honored with numerous awards including Doctor of Science Award by Dr. M.G.R. University in 2003, Padmashri award in 2000, Dr. B. C. Roy Award in Interventional Cardiology in 1996, “Rashtriya Samman” award in 2000 given to individual taxpayers who declare a high income of Rs. 20 lakh or more in at least four out of the five preceding years.
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