At 92, she still performs C-sections: The Hyderabad gynaecologist who has delivered 2 lakh babies

In a hidden two-storey building under a flyover in Secunderabad, lies the private practice of 92-year-old Suri Srimathi, Telangana's oldest obstetrician and gynaecologist. She has delivered 2 lakh babies over six decades and performs C-sections to this day. Born into an orthodox Brahmin family in Hyderabad, Srimathi chose medicine despite her mother's traditional values and her father's insistence, as women from their community did not typically pursue medicine.

She supported her family of seven children with a scholarship and occasional work for All India Radio. At Osmania Medical College, Srimathi was part of a small group of four women students, a rare occurrence in a class dominated by male students. She has earned the trust of generations of patients with her surgical expertise and compassionate care, instilling confidence in her pregnant patients and reducing their pain.

Despite losing patients throughout her career, Srimathi remains dedicated to her profession, spending her final years in a family home where her youngest brother lives with her.