Jameela Beevi Rahmathullah
Premium memorialLovingly known as “Doctor Amma”
20 February 1935 — 6 January 2021 · aged 85
Doctor Amma of Triplicane: obstetrician who delivered thousands and turned no one away
Chennai, India Born in Ambur, Vellore district, Tamil Nadu Resting at Muslim burial ground, Royapettah, ChennaiAbout Jameela
The mothers of Triplicane had a saying: if the baby is in a hurry, send for Doctor Amma, and if the mother is frightened, send for her even sooner. Jameela Beevi Rahmathullah was born in Ambur, a leather-and-biryani town in northern Tamil Nadu, the fourth daughter of a hide merchant who sold a plot of land to send her to Madras. In 1953 she entered Madras Medical College as one of only six women in her year and, as she liked to remind people, finished ahead of most of the men.
She trained in obstetrics at the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Egmore and then spent thirty-one years at Government Royapettah Hospital, often sleeping on a ward bench between night deliveries. She is believed to have brought more than eleven thousand babies into the world. Away from the wards she ran an evening clinic from the front room of her Triplicane home, charging ten rupees, or nothing at all if the woman in front of her could not pay. She trained midwives, scolded junior doctors who rushed, and kept a register of every child she delivered, which neighbours still came to consult for birthdates.
She cooked a legendary Ambur biryani at Eid, played carrom fiercely with her grandchildren and kept a tin of peppermints in her handbag for frightened children. Widowed in 2009 when her husband, Abdul Hameed, a school headmaster, passed away, she carried on seeing patients part-time until she was eighty. She died peacefully at home on 6 January 2021, aged eighty-five, with her family around her and her stethoscope on the shelf. She leaves her son, Dr. Imran, her daughter Shabana in London, and five grandchildren.
“Every mother who walks through that door is somebody's whole world.”
- Faith
- Muslim
- Place of birth
- Ambur, Vellore district, Tamil Nadu
- Resting place
- Muslim burial ground, Royapettah, Chennai
- Passed away
- 6 January 2021, Chennai
Janazah Prayer
Thursday, 7 January 2021 at 10:00 UTC
Add to calendarMemorial fund
Doctor Amma Maternity Fund
Support free antenatal care and safe deliveries for women who cannot afford them, at the Triplicane clinic her son continues.
$2,489 raised of $8,000
31%20 recent contributions
- DK
Daniel Kosgei gave $28.50 · 5y ago
- DS
Dr. Naledi Sithole gave $28.50 · 5y ago
“For the children's school fees.”
- AN
Anonymous gave $4.75 · 5y ago
- FB
Fathima Begum gave $190 · 5y ago
- DK
Daniel Kosgei gave $9.50 · 5y ago
“For the children's school fees.”
Life journey
MBBS
Madras Medical College1953 – 1959 · Chennai
One of six women in her year; first in her family to attend university.
Married Abdul Hameed
1960 · Chennai
A partnership of forty-nine years with a gentle headmaster.
Diploma in Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Egmore1960 – 1962 · Chennai
Specialised in safe delivery and maternal care.
Obstetrician & Gynaecologist
Government Royapettah Hospital1963 – 1994 · Chennai
Delivered an estimated eleven thousand babies and trained generations of midwives.
Evening clinic for mothers
Home clinic, Triplicane1965 – 2015 · Chennai
Ten rupees a visit, or free for those who could not pay.
Lifetime Service Award
Indian Medical Association, Tamil Nadu2006 · Chennai
For fifty years of community maternal care.
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Family & connections
Jameela is survived by
- Dr. Imran Rahmathullah· Son
- Shabana Farook· Daughter
- Hajira Begum· Sister
- 5 grandchildren· Grandchildren
Tributes & memories
6 people have shared a memory of Jameela.
Knew Jameela? Share a memory with the family and everyone who loved them.
Sign in to write a tribute- SM
Midwife she trained, now running a clinic in Ambur
Madam taught me to listen with my hands and wait with my heart. I have delivered four thousand babies since. Every single time, before the first cry, I say her prayer under my breath.
- DR
Former junior doctor, now a GP in Sydney
She taught me to place a hand on the patient's shoulder before saying anything medical. In my first week I hurried a night round; she made me do it again, slowly, while she watched. On every shift since, I have heard her say, 'Stay a little longer.'
- DK
Classmate, MBBS batch of 1959
Six women in a class of one hundred and ten. Jameela topped anatomy and handed the men her notes without being asked. We called her 'Doctor' from the first week, and we were right. London has been poorer for the news.
- RS
Retired Matron, Government Royapettah Hospital
Thirty-one years of nights side by side. She slept on the ward bench in her white coat and never accepted a bed in the doctors' room. Our midwives still repeat her instructions word for word, including the one about warm hands.
- FB
Mother of three, Triplicane
She delivered me in 1978, and my daughter in 2005, and told me both times to stop being afraid because fear makes labour harder. When I could not pay for my second baby, she waved the bill away and handed me a packet of peppermints. Doctor Amma was the kindest authority I ever met.
- MY
Neighbour and mosque committee member
In December 2015, when the floods came, she waded through knee-deep water to reach a woman in labour two streets away. She was eighty. The family named the baby Jameela. That little girl is five years old now and wants to be a doctor.
