Padma Shri awardee midwife ‘Sulagitti’ Narasamma breathes her last in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: Renowned midwife ‘Sulagitti’ Narasamma passed away at a private hospital in Bengaluru on Tuesday. She was 97. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over her death. Modi said her efforts of providing midwifery services in Karnataka will always be remembered.

Karnataka deputy chief minister G Parameshwara visited the BGS Gleneagles Global hospital to pay his respects. Narasamma of Tumakuru district had helped deliver more than 15,000 babies for free of cost at a time when medical help was hard to come by in rural areas.

Even though she was illiterate, she had learnt this skill from her grandmother, Marigemma, at a very young age. Acknowledging her service to the society, she was conferred with the Padma Shri earlier this year. Also, Tumakuru University had conferred her honorary doctorate in 2014. She was awarded the Devaraja Urs award in 2012 and Kittur Rani Chennamma award in 2013.