A 92-year-old gynaecologist from Hyderabad in southern India continues to show up for her patients every day, performing surgeries well into her tenth decade with no plans to stop.
Dr Suri Srimathi has been practising medicine for more than 60 years, a career span long enough to have treated grandmothers, their daughters and now their granddaughters, all from the same households.
What has Srimathi built in modern medicine?
The sheer length of her practice means Dr Srimathi, who practices yoga as a foundation for her longevity in her career has built something rare in modern medicine: a relationship of trust that stretches across entire family trees.
Three generations of women have walked through her doors seeking care, a testament to both her longevity and the confidence her patients place in her.
Speaking to BBC News Telugu’s Balla Satish, she offered a simple explanation for why she keeps going. “Many people come knocking my door seeking help,” she said. “That’s why I want to continue doing it.”
What makes Dr Srimathi’s story particularly striking?
What makes Dr Srimathi’s story particularly striking is that she is not simply consulting from behind a desk.
She still performs surgeries, a physically and mentally demanding part of medical practice that most professionals retire from far earlier.
The BBC World Service shared her story on September 20, 2026, where it quickly drew widespread attention from audiences moved by her dedication.
Srimathi’s commitment challenges assumptions about age, professional capacity
Her commitment challenges common assumptions about age and professional capacity, demonstrating that passion for one’s work can sustain performance well beyond what many consider the limits of a working life.
For her patients in Hyderabad, Dr Srimathi is not a curiosity or an anomaly.
She is simply their doctor, a steady and familiar presence who has been part of their families’ most intimate health journeys for decades.
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