Padmashri Dr. Dasari Prasada Rao, former Director of Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences and Chairman, Nano Hospitals Pvt. Ltd.; was conferred the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award by the Indian Association of Cardiovascular Thoracic Surgeons (IACTS) – the association of heart surgeons of India, at its 69^th Annual Conference, held at Coimbatore. He was felicitated with the coveted award in recognition of his yeoman service and excellence in heart, lung and liver surgeries, spanning over four decades. Chief Guest Shri MA. Subramanian, Minister for Medical and Health, Tamil Nadu; Dr. Jail Singh Mehrwal, President, IACTS and Dr. C.S. Hairmath, Secretary, IACTS; other dignitaries and over thousand heart surgeons from pan India; graced the occasion.

Dr. Prasada Rao earned enormous admiration and goodwill from his patients and professional peers alike, for his dexterity and expertise, on par with the best in the world, in the field of cardiothoracic surgery. He is acknowledged for his high standard of proficiency in performing coronary bypass surgeries, heart valve surgeries and other heart operations and won the gratitude of patients for being their life saver. During his tenure as the Director of NIMS Hospital, Hyderabad; he initiated several visionary measures including equipping the hospital with advanced facilities, construction of new building, setting up of state-of-the-art medical facilities like accident and emergency hospital, specialty Hospital, stem cell facility, bone marrow treatment etc. He upgraded NIMS and ensured it being counted among the best healthcare facilities in the country. He played an active role in acquiring 200 hundred acres of land for NIMS University at Bibi Nagar, which is currently shaping into the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences. As the founding director of Care Group of Hospitals, Mediciti Hospital, he contributed significantly to their transformation into centers of excellence. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2001 along with many other awards for his multi-faceted services. Dr. Prasada Rao is currently serving as the Chief Cardiac Surgeon at Apollo Spectra Hospital, Ameerpet, Hyderabad.