Coronavirus: Cardiologist SI Padmavati dies at 103
Padmavati, who was the founder of the National Heart Institute in Delhi, underwent treatment for the infection at the hospital for 11 days.
Dr Sivaramakrishna Iyer Padmavati, one of India’s top cardiologists, died of a cardiac arrest on Saturday, PTI reported. The 103-year-old doctor had tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this month.
Padmavati, who was the founder of the National Heart Institute in Delhi, underwent treatment for the infection at the hospital for the past 11 days. She was on ventilator support.
“Dr S Padmavati, an eminent cardiologist, rather the first female cardiologist of India, popularly known as ‘God Mother of Cardiology’ passed away on August 29 due to COVID-19 infection,” the National Heart Institute said in a statement, according to PTI. “She had breathing difficulty and fever. She developed pneumonia in both lungs and needed ventilator support. However, she sustained a cardiac arrest and passed away.”
Born in Myanmar, Padmavati came to India during World War II in 1942. She founded the National Heart Institute in 1981. Padmavati went on to win the Padma Bhushan in 1967 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1992 for her pioneering work in the field of cardiology.
Doctors and politicians took to Twitter to pay their tributes to Padmavati. “My humble tribute to Dr SI Padmavati, Director of Delhi’s National Heart Institute & Founder President of All India Heart Foundation,” Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan wrote on Twitter. “A Padma Vibhushan awardee, she was India’s 1st [first] woman cardiologist and established the 1st cardiac clinic in N India.”
Kudos to Dr SI Padmavati, an amazing personality who worked till the age of 103, twelve hours a day & five days a week !
— Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) August 30, 2020
She accomplished many feats in an era when cardiology was an unknown territory for most Indians, let alone for a woman.@MoHFW_INDIA @WHO @WHOSEARO @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/U6wJkbsg1Y
Here are some other tributes
We are deeply saddened by the news of Dr. Padmavati Sivaramakrishna Iyer’s passing. India's first woman cardiologist who established the first cardiology clinic & catheter lab, the first Indian medical school-based cardiology department, 1/2 #WomeninMedicine pic.twitter.com/Yvr0kVBWKC
— Satendra Singh, MD (@drsitu) August 30, 2020
THE FIRST AND OLDEST CARDIOLOGIST OF INDIA, Dr. S.I. Padmawati [103 years], passed away today due to COVID-19
— DR AMARINDER S MALHI MBBS/MD/DM/AP AIIMS NEW DELHI (@drasmalhi) August 30, 2020
Widely regarded as the Doyenne of cardiology in India, Dr Sivaramakrishna Iyer Padmavati, India's first woman cardiologist is a woman of many firsts! @DrJawahars @ANI pic.twitter.com/jiXlmSE5Gm
Pioneering cardiologist Dr Sivaramakrishna Iyer Padmavati ji, who had established the country’s first cardiac care unit died of Covid. She was popularly known as ‘Godmother of cardiology’. May her soul rest in peace. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/2931GaSBD5
— Dr. Nandini Sharma (@DrNandiniBJP) August 31, 2020