Chandigarh GMCH director Dr BS Chavan dies of cancer at 59

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 4

Dr BS Chavan, Director of Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32 here, passed away on Friday after prolonged illness. He was 59.

Chavan was suffering from abdominal cancer and had been on ventilator support since last week.

"His condition deteriorated from last Saturday as he was on ventilator support. His oxygen dipped at 2 am and despite our best efforts, we couldn't save him," said Anil Moudgil, Hospital Spokesperson.

The last rites will be performed today at noon at the cremation ground sector- 25 Chandigarh.

A psychiatrist, before joining GMCH, Chavan worked at AIIMS, New Delhi. Chavan did his MD psychiatry from PGIMER, Chandigarh in 1987 and later received a WHO Fellowship in community psychiatry from Australia in 1998 and a Diploma in Hospital Administration (DHM) in 2003 from NIHFW, New Delhi. He was a Fellow of National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS) and Fellow of International Medical Science Academy (FIMSA).

Chavan made an outstanding contribution in the field of mental health and rehabilitation of persons with disability. He was instrumental in starting a community outreach programme for mental illness and substance abuse including community-based indoor detoxification camps.

In Chandigarh, Chavan has been instrumental in starting comprehensive rehabilitation services in mental health for persons suffering from mental illness, mental retardation, cerebral palsy(CP), autism and multiple disabilities. For chronic mentally-ill patients (SMI), Prof Chavan has set up Disability Assessment, Rehabilitation and Triage ( DART), and facilities at DART include vocational skill training, social skill training and cognitive enhancement therapy (CET). For unknown, orphaned and destitute mentally ill patients, Chavan had arranged a residential facility at SAMARTH and Aashreya.