Lucy Oommen was an Indian gynaecologist
and the first medical director of Indian origin at the
St Stephen's Hospital, Delhi
St Stephen's Hospital Delhi is one of the oldest and the largest private hospitals in New Delhi, India. The hospital today has 600 beds and is presently a superspeciality tertiary care hospital offering comprehensive care covering all major cli ...
.
Born to P. K. Oommen and Kochannamma and sister to Jacob Oommen and Alice,
in the south Indian state of
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
, she graduated in medicine from the
Christian Medical College and Hospital
Christian Medical College, Vellore, widely known as CMC, Vellore, is a private, Christian community-run medical school, hospital and research institute. This Institute includes a network of primary, secondary and tertiary care hospitals in a ...
, Vellore
and joined
St Stephen's Hospital Delhi as a surgeon in 1942.
She then took charge as superintendent from Dr. Morris.
Achievements
She became the first Indian to hold the position of director at the institution, and held the post till her retirement in 1988.
She was awarded the fourth highest Indian civilian award of
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
by the
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
in 1977.
St. Stephen's Hospital instituted an award, ''Dr. Lucy Oommen Award'', in 2005,
for recognizing excellence in ''Mother and Child Care'',
the first of the awards going to Sharda Jain, a known gynecologist based in New Delhi in 2008.
She was awarded for her work in Obstetrics and Gynaecology including the social work that she had initiated.
Dr. Lucy had been a gold medalist of the year during her college. After her death, St. Stephen's Hospital added her name to a wing of the hospital, now called the Dr. Lucy Oommen, Mother and Child Block.
Contributions
St. Stephen's Hospital realized a growth from a maternity hospital comprising 140 beds to a general one comprising 450 beds, after the work done by Dr. Lucy. She also formed an institution called Patient's Welfare Society, which is a group that supports patients for free.
She was also the personal physician for the Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Oommen never married.
She died of old age Parkensis
in March 2002.
See also
*
St. Stephen's Church, Delhi
St. Stephen's Church is located on Church Mission Road in Delhi. The church was built in 1862, by Anglican missionaries and DPW Engineers in the style of Italian Gothic architecture. It is part of Church of North India Diocese of Delhi.
The St. ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oommen, Lucy
Recipients of the Padma Shri in medicine
Indian gynaecologists
Indian women gynaecologists
20th-century Indian women scientists
2002 deaths
Year of birth missing
Medical doctors from Kerala
Malayali people
20th-century Indian medical doctors
Women scientists from Kerala
20th-century Indian women medical doctors