SAMBALPUR: Former BJD MLA and noted gynaecologist Raseswari Panigrahi passed away while undergoing treatment at her residence in Shanti Nagar locality of Sambalpur on Monday evening. She was 80.
Panigrahi was experiencing age-related health issues for the past several months and had turned critically ill in recent days. She was battling neurological complications and her condition worsened on Sunday evening. She breathed her last at around 8.50 pm.
Panigrahi’s demise marks the end of a distinguished journey that spanned both public service and medicine. Sister of former Deogarh MP Sriballav Panigrahi, she was elected from Sambalpur Assembly constituency on a Biju Janata Dal (BJD) ticket in the 2014 elections.
Before entering politics, she built a career in healthcare after completing her MBBS from Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR), Burla and joined government service in 1972 as a gynaecology specialist.
Panigrahi began her professional career at the district headquarters hospital (DHH) in Sundargarh and later served as a professor at VIMSAR, contributing significantly to medical education and women’s healthcare. Her early education was at Ispat Vidyalaya in Rourkela, followed by studies at Gangadhar Meher college in Sambalpur, where she nurtured her ambition to become a doctor.
Panigrahi was known for providing free medical assistance to underprivileged patients. She had also pledged her MLA pension for charitable purposes and was involved in several philanthropic activities through a trust named after her late parents.
Terming Panigrahi’s death as an irreparable loss to the political and social sphere of Odisha, Union Education Minister and Sambalpur MP Dharmendra Pradhan said, “I am deeply saddened and distressed to hear about the demise of former Sambalpur MLA, social worker and senior doctor Dr Raseswari Panigrahi. Dr Panigrahi was not just a public representative, but a service-oriented personality who was well known in every household of Sambalpur.”
Former minister and BJD leader Rohit Pujari also expressed grief over Panigrahi’s death. He said her contributions to the development of Sambalpur, social service, and the medical field will always be remembered. “I pray to Maa Samaleswari and Lord Jagannath for the eternal peace of the departed soul,” he added.