Kakarla Subba Rao FRCR, FACR, FICP, FSASMA, FCCP, FICR, FCGP

Kakarla Subba Rao was born on 25 January, 1925 in a middle class agricultural family at Pedamuttevi, a small village in Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh. He had his early schooling at S.R. High School, Challapalli and The Hindu College at Machilipatnam, between 1937-1944. In 1944 he joined Andhra Medical College at Vizag and passed MBBS in 1950. Having completed his internship at K.G. Hospital, Vizag in 1951, Dr Subbarao left for USA for higher studies, on a special scholarship. In 1955, he cleared his American Board Exam in Radiology. During 1954-1956 Dr Kakarla worked as a 'Special Fellow' in Radiology at New York and Baltimore.

Dr Subba Rao came back to India in 1956. He joined the Osmania Medical College as Assistant Professor in Radiology and also worked as Assistant Radiologist at Osmania General Hospital till 1962. He became Professor of Radiology and Chief Radiologist. Dr Kakarla left for United States once again in 1970.

In 1973 Dr. Subba Rao became a 'Fellow of Royal College of Radiologists (UK). Till 1986 he was associated with faculty of Radiology at different medical institutions in America, rendered his valuable services and distinguished himself in the process. He could have settled in the US and made a lot of money but he declined to do so. In 1986, the then Chief Minister N T Rama Rao, requested all the eminent Telugus settled in United States of America to retrun home and serve their brothers and sisters. With that initiation he prepared himself to serve his motherland, and joined with the NIIMS. He was the one of the few eminent personalities who responded positively to the Chief Minister's call.

He wanted to provide world class medical facilities to the common man in India. So he started reorganizing the Nizam's Institute of Medical sciences (NIMS) at Hyderabad with the help of government of Andhra Pradesh. NIMS would have never attained prestigious status without Dr Kakarla Subba Rao, the world renowned radiologist. Established by the Nizam, the institute was known as Nizam Orthopedic Hospital till Dr Subba Rao took the reins and rebuilt it as a premier health care institute in the state on par with the corporate hospitals.