Ramesh C. Deka

Ramesh C. Deka (; born 1 October 1948 in Assam) is an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist and the former Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, which is globally recognised as the premier medical institute of India. He is one of the pioneers of cochlear implant surgery in India and performed the country's first bilateral cochlear implantation surgery.
Education.
Deka obtained his MBBS degree from the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in 1969 and his MS (ENT) from AIIMS in 1973.
Awards, honours and guest lectures.
For medical services and research.
In 2010, Deka was awarded the Kamal Kumari National Award for Science and Technology.
Other awards.
Deka was nominated as one of the "Top 100 Most Trusted People in India". His other awards include:
Guest lectures.
Deka delivered guest lectures as an invited faculty and distinguished visiting professor at leading centres and institutions in around 20 countries. He has also given guest lectures and orations at a large number of national and international conferences, seminars, and symposia. He delivered the valedictory address in a workshop of the Zonal Task Force on the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme at SRM University in Kattankulathur on 3 September 2010. Deka delivered an inaugural address at the National Seminar on "Education for Cultural Sustainability" organised by Amity Institute of Education (AIE), New Delhi, sponsored by the National University for Educational Planning and Administration (NUPEA) at Amity University Campus on 30 March 2011. Deka addressed the convocation ceremony at Pushpagiri Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre in Thiruvalla on 28 November 2011.
Contribution to Cochlear implant Surgery Facility and teaching at AIIMS.
Deka worked in the Cochlear Implant Facility at the ENT department AIIMS, developing rehabilitation activities for patient care and conducting research in this field. The facility promotes clinical research and rehabilitation for patients with bilateral profound deafness, both in children and adults. So far, over 300 cochlear implant surgeries have been done under this facility successfully, the largest number among government facilities in India.
Nucleus 5, a fifth-generation cochlear implant, was implanted in the ear of a three-year-old hearing-impaired child at AIIMS. This was regarded as a breakthrough in cochlear implant design and technology.
Deka provided leadership, along with his highly qualified team of audiologists and speech therapists, to address cochlear implantee support in Sri Lanka. He has helped many other centres in India develop the facilities for cochlear implant surgery and rehabilitation of deaf people, such as in the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh; Railway Hospital, New Delhi; and Army Hospital (Research and Referral), New Delhi.
Controversies.
Deka was appointed Dean of AIIMS as a reward for his loyalty to then-Health Minister Ambumani Ramdoss who was in conflict with then-Director Dr. P. Venugopal on the issue of reservation and autonomy of the AIIMS. Deka favored the Minister for implementation of the Moily Committee. Deka was 24th on the seniority list, however, per the rules, the senior-most Professor should have been appointed Dean.