Veteran neurosurgeon Dr Upendra Devkota was accorded full state honours as his mortal remains were consigned to flames in Pashupati crematorium in Kathmandu on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Dr Devkota’s body was kept on the premises of National Institute of Neurological and Allied Sciences (Neuro Hospital) in Bansbari, where his friends, relatives and colleagues, among others,  offered their tributes.

In his 34-year-long medical career, Dr Devkota had performed more than 25,000 successful surgeries and played an instrumental role in bringing a number of important reforms in health sectors during his stint as a health minister during the direct rule of then king Gyanendra Shah in 2002. He was considered a pioneer in the field of neurosurgery in the country.

A patient of bile duct cancer, Dr Devkota was undergoing treatment at Neuro Hospital, which he had founded. He had returned from the UK on May 29 after spending six months at a hospital there. He passed away, aged 65, at 5:35 pm on Monday. He is survived by his wife

Dr Madhu Dixit Devkota and their daughters Medha, Vasudha and Manjari.