New Delhi: Sir Ganga Ram hospital is at loss for words at the loss of illustrious and vintage faculty member Padma Shri Dr I.C Verma. Dr D S Rana, Chairman, Board of Trustees and Dr Ajay Swaroop, Chairman, Board of Management, have expressed their and, on behalf of SGRH, immense grief at his demise.
Dr Rana in his official statement said, ‘Sir Ganga Ram Hospital is sad beyond words to learn of the demise of Prof Verma , whom we all knew and his contribution for over 4 decades as a teacher and as a Senior colleague. His scholarship and intellectual acuity impressed everyone who was privileged to have interacted with him. Hospital considers blessed to have learned from his wisdom. His contribution to building the Department of Genetics and Genomics at SGRH is a saga of success, hard work and great vision, which surely shall endure for generations to come.
His passing has left a huge void in SGRH which shall keep reminding us of his invaluable role in building our alma mater.A lasting tribute to his memory will be to continue cherishing his ideals and to inculcate his no non sense approach to research with honesty and integrity..Our respectful homage to the departed soul.. We express our heartfelt condolences to Dr Kusum Verma , his wife and the other members of the family in this hour of grief’
Dr Ajay Swaroop was equally inconsolable at this sad news and said, ‘Today is a sad day for science and Sir Ganga Ram hospital as Padma Shree Dr ICVERMA is no more. He was the father of genetic medicine in India and was recognized internationally. He was a humble man despite his great attributes. We have lost immensely at his departure. We are truly at loss of words to describe our deep sense of loss. His demise leaves a big void as we pray for his soul. SGRH will always cherish and treasure his legacy and keep up the good work that he was doing here.
The list of attributes of Dr Verma is long. Dr Verma had rare expertise on rare diseases in the country as his decorations show and was counted as one of the few in the world. Dr (Prof ) I C Verma , Advisor , Institute of Medical Genetics & Genomics , Sir Ganga Ram Hospital was a renowned specialist in Genetic Medicine. After practising one and half year in Medicine in East Africa, he acquired training in pediatric and genetics from London. He practised at AIIMS from 1967 to 1996. Over a period of time, he established himself as a professor of pediatrics and Head of Genetic Department there. Later, this unit got recognition as WHO Collaborating Centre in Genetics due to his creditable performance. Dr Verma had been awarded various recognitions including FRCP Fellowship, Ranbaxy Science award, ICMR, NAMS and B.C RoyMedical Council Award. In the year 2003, he made a successful entry in Limka Book of Records as pioneer in Genetics in India.
To deliver his knowledge worldwide, Dr Verma imparted training in many national and international healthcare organizations. For two decades, Dr Verma had been a member of the advisory body of the World Health Organization Committee of Genetic Disorder. He also headed the Indian Society of Human Genetics. His researches added valuable contribution in the field of Pediatric Genetics and Community Health in India. He handled approximately 2000 cases with expertise in Fetal Medicine and reproductive Genetics, Genetic Counseling and prenatal Diagnosis using Molecular, Cytogenetic and biochemical Techniques.
