Dr. Indira Hinduja, Padma Shri
Gynaecologist, Obstetrician & Pioneer of IVF in India
A young couple struggling with infertility once asked her anxiously, “Doctor, is there really hope for us?”
Dr. Indira Hinduja looked at them with quiet confidence and said, “Science has opened new doors. With patience, careful work and the right technique, many couples who once had no chance can now hold their own child. We will walk this path together.”
That combination of scientific pioneering and deep empathy has defined her career of more than five decades.
Indira Hinduja was born on 21 August 1946 in Shikarpur (then in British Sindh, now Pakistan). Her family migrated to India during Partition when she was only a few months old and settled first in Belgaum (Belagavi), Karnataka, where she studied in municipal schools, before moving to Mumbai.
She graduated MBBS from Topiwala National Medical College and B.Y.L. Nair Hospital, Mumbai, in 1967–68. She obtained her Diploma in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (1969), Diploma in Family Planning (1970) and MD in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (1972–73) from the University of Bombay. In 1988 she was awarded a PhD in Applied Biology from the same university for her thesis on “Human In Vitro Fertilisation and Embryo Transfer”—one of the earliest such doctorates in India.
She spent many years at KEM Hospital and Seth G.S. Medical College, Mumbai, where she conducted pioneering research in assisted reproductive technology under resource-limited conditions. On 6 August 1986 she delivered India’s first scientifically documented IVF (test-tube) baby, Harsha Chawda, at KEM Hospital. She went on to achieve further firsts: India’s first GIFT (Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer) baby on 4 January 1988, and the country’s first baby through oocyte (egg) donation technique on 24 January 1991, developed especially for women with premature ovarian failure or menopause.
In 1989, together with Dr. Kusum Zaveri, she established the Inkus IVF Centre in Mumbai. She has also been associated with Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre and serves as Honorary Gynaecologist and IVF specialist at P.D. Hinduja National Hospital and Medical Research Centre. Her research has extended into embryo implantation, stem-cell related work, metabolomics and genetic assessment of embryos. She has published extensively and trained numerous postgraduate students.
The Government of India awarded her the Padma Shri in 2011 for her contributions to medicine. Other major honours include the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI, 1999), the Dhanvantari Award from the Governor of Maharashtra (2000), the Young Indian Award, Bharat Nirman Award, and several other national and state recognitions.
Even after decades of landmark achievements, Dr. Hinduja continues to emphasise ethical practice, patient counselling and scientific rigour.
“Infertility should never be a source of shame,” she has often said. “It is a medical condition that science can address. Every healthy baby born through assisted reproduction is a victory of hope and careful medicine.”
From a municipal-school education after Partition to delivering India’s first IVF, GIFT and egg-donation babies, Dr. Indira Hinduja opened the door of parenthood for thousands of couples and established assisted reproductive technology as a recognised field in India.
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