Panaji: Dr Armida Fernandez, the renowned Goan-origin neonatologist who established Asia’s first human milk bank in Mumbai in 1989, will be conferred the Padma Shri for 2026 by President Droupadi Murmu for her contributions in the field of medicine.Although born in Dharwad and based in Mumbai, the announcement on the eve of Republic Day brought cheers in several corners of Goa, as Armida, a daughter of the illustrious Goan professor-poet Armando Menezes, is from Sao Mathias in Divar.
Armida completed her MBBS in Hubbali and her post-graduation at KEM hospital, Mumbai. She made her mark in neonatology in Maharashtra, where she joined a group of neonatologists to set up the urban health NGO, Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action (Sneha), in 1999. The human milk bank was set up in the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital and Medical College in Sion, Mumbai, where she was HOD (neonatology) and dean.According to the hospital’s website, “Nearly 3,000-5,000 babies benefit from the services of this milk bank every year. Nearly 800-1,200 litres of human milk each year is received and fed to sick and vulnerable babies in the neonatal intensive care unit”.“Dr Fernandez’s visionary approach to newborn care, especially in underprivileged communities, helped transform paediatric care in India,” said her godchild Dr Deepti Pinto Rosario, consultant obstetrician-gynaecologist at Pinto Rosario Hospital, Porvorim.Besides neonatology, Dr Fernandez’s special area of interest was child nutrition and maternal health. For the past three decades, she has actively been involved in the promotion of breastfeeding and Unicef’s baby friendly initiative.Illustrating Dr Fernandez’s hand-on approach, Dr Pinto Rosario said, “I remember posting a picture of my four-month-old son on my WhatsApp profile drinking from a bottle. In no time, I got a call from Dr Armida, chastising me for setting a bad example to my patients and reminding me of the value of breastfeeding”.Explaining the changes Dr Fernandez made to healthcare in India, Dr Pinto Rosario said, “She was one of the first to recognise the benefits of bringing mothers into the neonatal ICU to hold their newborns, bringing about a remarkable drop in neonatal mortality. She took what she learned in the hospital and went out into underprivileged communities, staring into the face of poverty and implementing simple but effective policies to help them care for their infants.““I can think of no one more deserving of the prestigious Padma Shri,” she added.
