Citation

Dr. Rayapu Ramesh Babu is an internationally renowned expert Physician on HIV/AIDS. A medical Messiah for HIV/AIDS patients in India since 1987.A pioneer doctor and AIDS crusader in India’s fight against HIV/AIDS, who since 1983 as a medical student started voluntarily working on HIV/ AIDS (first volunteer on HIV/AIDS in the world).For40 years he has been continuously doing immense contribution to HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention, and treatment and took up the cause of AIDS research at a time which other doctors didn’t want to talk about it due to the stigma attached. He is also Public Health Specialist serving (through affordable free public health care) the poor and needy in the areas of HIV/AIDS, Blood Donations, Free Rural Medical and Health Camps ,Cancer Awareness and Prevention Campaigns since 1987, through his established (as Founder President and CEO) Blood donors Organization for Social Service (BOSS) and its AIDS Branch Centre for Information, Prevention and Counselling on AIDS (CIPCA), Registered First Charitable NGO in the Country, exclusively with 2524 doctors and 16,906 Blood donors as its members. It has been well recognized with special consultative status by United Nations (ECOSOC), as HIV/AIDS research and resource Centre by the Indian council of Medical Research (ICMR), National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), International AIDS Society (IAS), Johns Hopkins University (USA), Harvard AIDS Institute (USA), World AIDS Foundation (France) and Oxford University (UK). Dr Ramesh, aged 65 years,) residing at Tirupati, AP State. He is a doctor (with MBBS, Ph.D. on HIV/AIDS -first PhD on HIV/AIDS in India, Lawyer (BL), Psychologist (MSc (Psy)), Social Worker (MBA),has fellowship from Oxford University (UK) for his innovative work on HIV/AIDS. Since the completion of his M.B.B.S. in 1987, he never had private practice or a job and he dedicated his life to the service of the community in an environment where most of the doctors revealed craze for money. He has been rendering charitable free service to Lakhs (4,25,110) of Persons living with HIV/AIDS since 1987 in A.P. combined State; through the BOSS and CIPCA organization by providing free of cost: Counseling, diagnostic tests, nursing facilities, nutritious diet, feasible symptomatic treatment, treating opportunistic infections and side effects, Anti-Retroviral drugs to the needy patients, admissions for seriously ill PLWHIV/AIDS at community care center's and taking care of them until their death and after death providing small financial grants for the funeral. This broke new ground as there was no precedent of a comprehensive HIV/AIDS facility with in the country in neither the public nor the private sector”. Dr.Ramesh has been suffering with Thyroid Cancer since 2018, now under chemotherapy, with courage he has been continuing Cancer Awareness and Prevention Campaigns .He sold off his properties to fuel his mission and was undeterred even by his Thyroid Cancer Dr. Ramesh is a Double Centurion Blood donor and holds an World record for having donated his blood 200 times in a short period of 40 years (April 1978 to March 2018)and motivated 37 ,21, 923 persons to donate blood so far. By invitation, he has attended 103 International conferences on STIs/HIV/AIDS worldwide. His hundreds of Peer Reviewed Research papers extensively on STIs HIV/AIDS have been published in international journals as Abstracts. From April 1987 to March 2025 (38years) Dr.Ramesh as a Public Health specialist, successfully organized 9811 Programmes. Funds donated by the organization Doctors and members only (no funds from Govt. or Abroad). Out of them: 1287 were Free Rural Medical and Health Camps, 1200 were Mass Blood Donation Camps, 2665 were Blood Donation Motivation Campaigns, 576 Cancer awareness and Prevention campaigns and 240 Covid-19 Awareness & Prevention Campaigns, 3843 AIDS awareness campaign (1822 community AIDS awareness campaigns, 575 campaigns among students on AIDS and 1446 Rural AIDS Awareness Campaigns). As a Public Health specialist and Covid-19 worrier, Dr Ramesh has been sincerely working since from the beginning of the pandemic in AP and Telangana States, among the people living with HIV and Tuberculosis (TB) enrolled under his organization. They are being significantly impacted by COVID-19. By testing, identified 57.931 of PLWHIV/AIDS infected with Covid-19 and treated, prevented them from the disease transmission. Majority has come out successfully from the Covid -19 infections, but we lost around 5001 PLWHIV/AIDS due to the existing co-comorbidities. He has ensured that every PLWHIV/AIDS is able to receive essential services including health care and invested adequately in social protection programmes to keep people safe and to shield them from the consequences of losing their livelihoods. During this vigorous process Dr. Ramesh had Covid-19 infection twice and with great fight (21 days)he has recovered. As an academician, Prof.Dr.Ramesh has successfully organized 50 international webinars between 2020 and 2024 across various super specialties.

2. Significant contribution made by Dr.Ramesh

Even through the challenging COVID-19 pandemic situation, Dr Ramesh has successfully organized 50 International conferences starting from November 2020 to June 2024 every month in the fields of Medical Oncology, Cardiology, Neurosciences, Nephrology, Urology, Gastroenterology, Endocrinology, Oncology, Rheumatology, Hematology, Reproductive Medicine and Surgery and Interventional Radiology. These gatherings had legends in respective specialties as faculty with around 650 National & International speakers and has received excellent applause from all over the country and abroad. Around 2,50,000 postgraduates, practicing doctors, IMA doctors and faculties in teaching colleges from all over India and abroad participated and expressed their gratitude to Dr.Ramesh for giving them extraordinary opportunities to learn from the most reputed teachers from all corners of the country and the world. All the participants were given Andhra Pradesh medical council 4 CME Credit hour’s certificates for each conference free of cost and 200 CME Credit points awarded. These kinds of activities have not been conducted anywhere in India and even in the world by Medical Colleges, Medical Institutions or Medical Associations so far, especially during the two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a World record and submitted to the Guinness book of World Records. We have dedicated this 50 international Conferences (Webinars) to our beloved honorable Prime Minister of India Shri. Narendra Modi ji for his extraordinary, exemplary and dedicated approach in handling the COVID-19 pandemic in India and abroad. Dr.Ramesh has been recognized as an International Abstracts reviewer for STIs/HIV/AIDS International Conferences/Workshops worldwide. He was invited as a chairperson for more than 20 International Conferences/Workshops on HIV/AIDS worldwide. Dr. Ramesh, as chairman has organized New Millennium First National Conference on HIV/AIDS in India from May,7-10, 2000 in Tirupati, A.P, India, around 476people attendedfrom 15 states. Besides, he has conducted more than 200 seminars, workshops and training programmes on STIs/HIV/AIDS, blood donations, cancer and trained 75,000 doctors and 35,000 paramedical staff and fellow NGOs about HIV and works to reduce the stigma about PLW HIV in AP combined state. He has also conducted 1287 were Free Rural Medical and Health Camps, 1200 were Mass Blood Donation Camps, 2665 were Blood Donation Motivation Campaigns, 576 were Cancer Awareness and Prevention Campaigns, 3843 AIDS awareness campaign (1822 community AIDS awareness campaigns, 575 campaigns among students on AIDS and 1446 Rural AIDS Awareness Campaigns) , 576 Cancer awareness and Prevention campaigns and 240 Covid-19 Awareness & Prevention Campaigns In recognition of his unique services on HIV/AIDS, Dr.Ramesh has received 4 times accreditation and participated 4 times United Nations General Assembly Special Sessions on HIV/AIDS held at UN Hqrs, USA).

3. Impact/ Outcome of the work done by Dr. Ramesh :

Dr. Ramesh, after his MBBS, in 1987 (38 years) never had a private practice or a job. He has only been doing charitable free Medical and Health Service (affordable free public health care) to the poor people and to the lakhs of (4,55,214) Persons Living with HIV/AIDS in A.P. combined State. He makes an effort to offer the best treatment possible to all his HIV/AIDS patients, irrespective of their socio- economic status. His core conviction is that no one should be denied access to treatment due to want of money. Since 1983 (40 years), he has been facing stigma and in numerous hardships in our society concerning HIV/AIDS, blood donations and cancer but he has overcome all and has educated people about HIV/AIDS, motivated them towards Blood Donations by donating his blood 200 times (Double Centurion Blood donor) in a short period of 40 years (April 1978 to March 2018). He has motivated 37 ,21, 923 persons to donate blood in Govt. Blood banks only. Being a Thyroid Cancer victim himself, he never lost courage, but instead started Cancer awareness and Prevention programmes to educate the public. He motivated 6,56,716 people and identified 6781 people with cancers, providing guidance and treatment for them. In support of his service, he drew attention from the society by involving top officials of the Country. His activities were witnessed and appreciated by 200 officials and VIPs of the State and Country including the Ex. Vice President of India four times, Ex Governor of A.P and Mizoram twice, present Governors of AP State and Haryana state once , Governor of Tripura once and Ex Chief Minister of A.P, once

4. Dr.Rayapu Ramesh Babu has spent 40 years working in the field