DR MUTHULAKSHMI REDDY - The Founder Of Cancer Institute (WIA).

  • Founded the Cancer Institute (WIA) in 1954
  • First woman in India to graduate in medicine - 1912
  • First Indian member in Women's India Association (WIA), Madras (1918) and was its President for 30 years.
  • Member and Vice-President of Madras Legislative Assembly (1927-1930)
  • Founded the Avvai Home for orphanaged girls and daughters of devadasis -1930
  • Initiated the cancer relief fund of the WIA to set up a specialty Cancer Hospital - 1949
  • Awarded Padma Bhushan - 1956

    • In 1886 on the 30 th of July , a girl was born in a middle class family in a state called "Pudukottai". She was named Muthulakshmi. One hardly realized that she was God's creation who would rise in this world to fight cancer.


    Muthulakshmi went on to become the first woman in India to graduate in medicine in 1912. She along with two Europeans founded the Women's India Association (WIA) in 1918. In 1927, she became the first woman in the world to preside over a legislative body. She was an active member in the freedom struggle.


    In 1922, Dr.Muthulakshmi Reddy detected cancer in her sister's rectum. From that day, she stayed by her bedside with agony till she passed away a year later. This incident sparked of her involvement in cancer and she proposed to build a cancer hospital in Madras. She formed a Cancer Relief Fund in 1949 and with the support of the WIA, she established the cancer hospital in 1954 in a small hut.


    She made sure her son, Dr. S. Krishnamurthi , after completing his medicine in the US stay back in India and serve the cause of poor cancer patients. The rest is now seen in the form of one of the best state–of–art cancer hospitals in the world today.