Dr. Suri Srimathi: The 92-Year-Old Hyderabad Gynaecologist Who Delivered 2 Lakh Babies

While modern medical discourse is often dominated by burnout, toxic work hours, and administrative hurdles, a 92-year-old doctor in Hyderabad is reminding the country what pure dedication to the craft looks like.

Dr. Suri Srimathi, a highly revered obstetrician and gynaecologist in Telangana, recently went viral on social media for a staggering, almost unbelievable career milestone: over her 60-year practice, she has successfully delivered over 2,00,000 (two lakh) babies.

Battling Social Boycott to Practice Medicine

Dr. Srimathi’s journey began in an era when women in medicine were a rarity. After witnessing her siblings survive severe bouts of smallpox, she decided to become a doctor. However, taking up medicine—specifically anatomy classes involving cadavers—was heavily frowned upon for women at the time.

Dr. Srimathi recently shared in interviews that her family faced immense societal backlash and a complete social boycott from relatives simply because she chose to study medicine. Despite the resistance, she persevered, graduating with an MD in Gynaecology from Osmania University in 1965.

“The Anaesthesiologist, Gynaecologist & Paediatrician”

Reflecting on her early days, Dr. Srimathi noted how drastically healthcare has evolved. During her first independent delivery at a district hospital in Sangareddy in 1959, medical infrastructure was so scarce that she had to single-handedly act as the anaesthesiologist, the operating gynaecologist, and the paediatrician for a 15-year-old mother requiring an emergency C-section.

Driven by the tragic memory of a pregnant woman who once died after traveling 12 kilometers on a bullock cart to seek delayed care, Dr. Srimathi devoted her life to maternal and foetal health. She has served across the state’s premier institutions, including Osmania Medical College, Gandhi Medical College, and Niloufer Hospital.

Still Practicing at 92

Most impressively, Dr. Srimathi refuses to stop. At 92 years old, she still begins her day at 8:30 AM, reviewing patient updates and mapping out surgeries. She continues to consult patients in the evening at her private clinic in Padma Rao Nagar.

For thousands of families across Hyderabad, there is a beautiful, quiet connection: multiple generations of the same family have been brought into the world by the exact same pair of hands.