BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh’s first woman doctor, Dr Bhakti Yadav died of age-related ailments in Indore Monday morning. She was 91.
Fondly known as Doctor Didi, Bhakti Yadav was honoured with the Padma Shri four months ago.
Born on April 3, 1926 in Mahidpur in Ujjain district, Bhakti Yadav was the only female student in the 1948 MBBS batch at the Mahatma Gandhi Medical College in Indore.
After completing MBBS she joined Nandlal Bhandari Maternity Home in Indore, which focused on providing health care to underprivileged women from textile mill worker families. Later, she established her own nursing home ‘Vatsalya’ in Indore, also meant particularly for underprivileged patients.
Bhakti Yadav spent 68 years rendering free consultation to underprivileged women from central and western India.
Despite her age, Doctor Didi continued to see patients till November 2016 while suffering from acute osteoporosis herself.
She continued to live in the Indore locality of Pardeshipura, which is home to a large number of mill worker families.