To introduce Dr Duru Shah, she has been the first and only Indian to receive the prestigious “Distinguished Merit Award for service towards women’s health”, at the Opening Ceremony of the World Conference of the International Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (FIGO), Rome in October 2012. This honor was bestowed upon her for her relentless work in educating and impacting the lives of common Indian women.
Dr Duru Shah, a veteran Gynecologist and Fertility Specialist from Mumbai has had an exhilarating journey as a doctor; marked with academic milestones, global recognitions and a lifetime spent in dispelling dangerous myths and reinforcing health messages.
Dr Duru Shah initiated the Suprabha Ganga Yatra programme in 2006. This walkathon of its first kind spanned 2400 kilometres and involved thousands of doctors and volunteers. Besides creating mass awareness, this program collected data from 1 million women from the most backward parts of the country. The one single need of all these women were access to sterilisation facilities in their villages. Subsequently, sterilisation procedures got added into the National Family Planning Scheme. The yatra took over 108 days, covered hundreds of small towns and villages and was carried out in five states that recorded the highest maternal mortality rates.
Yet another inspiring initiative undertaken by Dr Shah was to deliver Iron infusions through IV as an alternative to the Iron Tablets given to pregnant women in Primary Healthcare Centers in Villages. Most women in rural area die because of anaemia during childbirth. To prove the effectiveness of IV Iron infusions to combat anaemia in pregnancy, Dr Shah constituted a study with the Public Health Foundation of India under the Aegis of Indian College of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists. A decade long study has now resulted in the government implanting this plan in Primary Health Centres across the country. This study constituted by Public Health Foundation of India was recently published by Lancet Journals. Today every single pregnant woman from the tiniest of the villages will be administered Iron Infusions during her mandatory antenatal visits in PHCs.
As the President of the Federation of Obstetric & Gynecological Societies of India (FOGSI) in 2006, she had knocked on the doors of the Government in Delhi, worked along with global organizations such as WHO, UNFPA and UNICEF, and campaigned with the Ministry of Health, for Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health (ARSH) information to be imparted to all in schools. Her efforts resulted in success as the Health Ministry made it mandatory for it to be included in school textbooks in India in 2008.
Dr Shah directly led a decade long Urban Adolescent Empowerment project “Growing up" – which educated approximately 5 million girls in India on Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health. Growing up was a significant movement at a point of time in the country when matters on Adolescent, Reproductive and Sexual Health was not openly discussed in schools or even between parents and children. This effective movement created an impact that changed the perception of a generation of girls who grew up to be more aware and responsible mothers of tomorrow. For the first time in their lives, these girls opened and asked questions that they never could ask anyone before.
Dr Shah set up the Kishori Program in Dharavi that impacted the lives of over 20,000 young girls in a period of 5-6 years. The Program was not just education but giving these young girls a voice. They were also given vocational training as a means of survival in addition to gender education, self-defense trainings and reproductive health information along with education on contraceptives.
With a powerful vision to reach out to the masses, Dr Shah took upon herself to enlist the support of celebrities to spread critical public awareness on female feticide, transmission of AIDS from mother to child and even combating Anemia in pregnancy. Mr Amitabh Bachchan, Mrs Jaya Bachchan, Ms Aishwarya Rai and Mr Ajay Devgan came forward to support Dr Shah in her mission to spread awareness. The STAR group broadcast these messages for over a month that reached out to over 20 million households at that point.
In addition, Dr Shah in 2017 launched India’s first and only reproductive health app in five languages. The app titled ‘Too Shy to Ask’ allows teenagers to ask questions to experts in their own private space in an anonymous manner. Authored by Dr Shah, Fetal Attraction is a classic one stop resource to pregnancy, labour, and early childbirth. When the book was released, the media hailed it as “The Only Pregnancy Resource You’ll Ever Need”. Even today the book is available on Amazon / Kindle for the Common Indian woman to benefit from.
Awarded the “Indian Medical Association” (IMA) Award for the valuable contribution to Medical Fraternity, Mumbai, July 2009
Dr. Duru Shah was conferred the OPPI (Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India) recognition award for outstanding contribution in the field of women’s health in July 2018
One of the 25 power women on the Marie Claire Influencers List 2013 who have inspired change and are advocates of change.
In association with Indian Space Research Organization, Dr Shah built a model that connected 800 Primary Health Care Centers through “Edusat”. With help of 5 satellite stations of ISRO through the year, EduSat reached out to over 10,000 rural doctors updating and educating them on the latest in Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Dr. Duru Shah is also a prolific writer and has authored over 200 chapters and articles in National and International Textbooks, Journals. She has edited and co-edited more than 20 books in her field. She is a Peer Reviewer for many journals and is on the Editorial board of "TOG" of the Royal College of Obs & Gyn, the "Climacteric" of the "International Menopause Society" and "Menopause International" of the British Menopause Society.
Dr Shah has represented India on a multitude of global platforms. She has been the member of the Guideline Critique Advisory Group of The Foundation for Medical Research UK, President of the Indian Society for Assisted Reproduction (ISAR), Country Representative of India to the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction. She was the representative of FOGSI to The International Federation of Gynecology & Obstetrics and has held positions of Chairman and President at Indian College of Obstetrics & Gynecology (ICOG), Indian Menopause Society, The Federation of Obstetric & Gynecological Societies of India, Mumbai Obstetric & Gynecological Society, Member of the Executive Board of International Menopause Society, Chairman of the Education Committee of the International Menopause Society, Representative of Indian Menopause Society to Asia Pacific Menopause Federation.
1. Efforts to bring infertility under insurance – During her tenure as the President of ISAR, Dr Shah was engaged in a dialogue with the government to include Infertility under Insurance. Her efforts took wings after intervention from NITI Aayog and finally the bill was passed in the parliament where Infertility was added along with ten other conditions to be included under Insurance. Two of the biggest Insurance Players in India have already included infertility in their portfolio
2. Building a WHO based guideline for Nursing Homes in the country: Working along with the WHO, Dr Duru Shah built a guideline to recognise good quality nursing homes in the country. This was her effort to work alongside the government to bring down malpractice in pregnancy and maternal care in nursing homes led by unqualified professionals in remote towns and districts. As part of the National Rural Health Mission, Dr Shah facilitated an accreditation process for the government to enhance the quality of care in the rural belt.
3. As the President of the Federation of Obstetric & Gynecological Societies of India (FOGSI) in 2006, she had knocked on the doors of the Government in Delhi, worked along with global organizations such as WHO, UNFPA and UNICEF, and campaigned with the Ministry of Health, for Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health (ARSH) information to be imparted to all in schools. Her efforts resulted in success as the Health Ministry made it mandatory for it to be included in school textbooks in India in 2008.