Dr. OP Yadav, executive director of the National Heart Institute (NHI), where she was admitted 11 days ago, said Dr. Padmavati developed a serious infection in both lungs, which caused death. Her last rites were performed at the Punjabi Bagh crematorium in West Delhi. The legendary cardiologist led an active and healthy life until her final days.
Until the end of 2015, she worked 12 hours a day, five days a week at the NHI, which was founded by her in 1981. Such was her contribution that she earned the nickname ‘Godmother of Cardiology’. She then established North India’s first cardiac catheterization laboratory at Lady Hardinge Medical College in 1954.
In 1967, she assumed the position of Principal Director of Maulana Azad Medical College and associated Irwin and GB Pant Hospitals. It was here that she introduced the first DM course in cardiology, the first coronary care unit and the first coronary care van in India. Dr. S Padmavati founded the All India Heart Foundation in 1962 and the National Heart Institute in 1981, and won the Padma Bhushan in 1967 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1992.
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