Nourish, learn & live with Neonatologist & Pediatrician Padma Shri Dr. Armida Fernandez
Maria Fernandes/NT
Every year, thousands of babies in India do not survive beyond their first month of life. While infant mortality has steadily declined, the neonatal stage, the first four weeks after birth, remains the most critical and delicate period for a newborn. Tackling this important issue, pioneering neonatologist and pediatrician Padma Shri Dr. Armida Fernandez, renowned for setting up Asia’s first human milk bank at Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital (Sion Hospital) in Mumbai, appeared as a guest on the recent episode of The Navhind Times talk show, Talk from the Heart, which aired on the Goa 365 channel.
Reflecting on her transition from paediatrics to neonatology, Fernandez spoke about how deeply troubled she was by the alarmingly high neonatal mortality rate at Sion Hospital where she started in 1972. “My Head of Department encouraged me to do something about it and I embraced the challenge,” she said. That decision marked the start of a journey spanning decades, encompassing public health, maternal support, newborn care, community health and palliative care.
Sion Hospital, a municipal medical college near Dharavi, catered to the poorest and most critically ill patients. Analyzing neonatal deaths, Fernandez identified infection as the leading and preventable factor. “I realised that outdated incubators, which were nearly impossible to sterilise properly, were harbouring dangerous organisms. Babies placed in them frequently developed infections and died,” she recalled. Limited staff and resources made thorough cleaning unfeasible, prompting her to remove the incubators and adopt low-cost alternatives such as warmers and lamps.
Feeding practices were another major source of infection. Newborns were given formula or animal milk through bottles, resulting in diarrhoea, sepsis and death. Fernandez eliminated bottle feeding and ensured babies received only human milk. These simple, low-cost interventions steadily reduced mortality rates. Determined to make human milk universally accessible, she established Asia’s first human milk bank. “While poorer mothers were often willing to donate milk out of solidarity, officials questioned the concept of one mother feeding another’s child. I asked them, if we can give an animal’s milk, why not human milk, which is biologically natural?” she recalled. Scientific evidence now validates her early conviction that even small amounts of human milk significantly reduce infection and improve survival among premature infants.
After decades in hospital-based care, Fernandez shifted her focus to communities. “I realized that if I really wanted to save lives, I could not sit in the hospital,” she explained. She founded the NGO SNEHA, Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action, to improve maternal and child health in Mumbai’s slums. Stressing on women’s empowerment, she said, “If you educate and empower a woman, she becomes an agent of change for her family and community.” SNEHA trains women to lead behaviour change in nutrition, hygiene and maternal health.
Later, after losing her daughter Romila to cancer, Fernandez founded the Romila Palliative Care Unit, addressing physical, psychological, social and spiritual suffering in patients with life-limiting illnesses. “No patient should suffer,” she said. Today, the unit serves thousands, providing home care, counselling and family support, complementing ongoing medical treatment.
Through decades of clinical innovation, community engagement and advocacy, Dr. Fernandez has transformed the lives of thousands of women and children, leaving a lasting impact on public health, neonatal care, maternal empowerment and community-driven behaviour change.
