University of Mumbai ex-VC Snehalata Deshmukh passes away at 86

Mumbai: Dr. Snehalata Shamrao Deshmukh, a renowned paediatrician and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mumbai, passed away aged 86 at her home here on Monday morning, varsity officials said.

An ex-Dean of the BMC’s Lokmanya Tilak Medical College & General Hospital, Deshmukh served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mumbai from 1995-2000.

A renowned paediatric surgeon, she pioneered and co-founded the neo-natal department of the BMC’s KEM Hospital and also functioned as a Governing Council Member of the Tata Memorial Centre under the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India.

Born in December 1938 in Ahmednagar, Deshmukh was educated at the Indian Education Society (IES) School in Dadar, later graduated from the Ruia College and topped in her MBBS degree from the GS Medical College (KEM Hospital), and further MS qualifications from there.

In 1990, she joined the Sion Hospital – where her father had earlier served as Medical Superintendent – and took a series of initiatives for the welfare of the patients and the medical fraternity and society, said her former medical student Dr. Niranjan Chavan, now a professor of gynaecology in the same institution.

She was instrumental in founding the Research Society there, a ‘breastmilk bank’ for women who couldn’t breastfeed their infants.

One major social campaign she spearheaded was that many newborn babies from the adjoining Dharavi slum areas had complaints of benign tumour growth on their backs.

Deshmukh spearheaded a study with her medical team which proved that it was due to lack of folic acid in the mothers’ body, after which the BMC distributed folic acid tablets to pregnant women in Asia’s biggest slum which largely controlled the problem.

Her last rites were performed at the Vile Parle crematorium this afternoon in the presence of a large crowd of mourners, her ex-students, medical colleagues, academicians and civic body representatives.