The Year 1986. In a private hospital in Mumbai. India delivered its first test-tube baby. Dr Indira Hinduja, a senior gynecologist, succeeded to help a young woman conceive using a unique technique of gamete intra-fallopian transfer. This medical feat was no less than a miracle, raising hope for childless couples all over the country. A year later, Jyoti joined K.E.M Medical College to follow in the footsteps of her father. By then, she had made up her mind to opt for gynecology. After completing her post-graduation, she worked for two years with Dr Indira Hinduja and Dr Sadhana Desai to master the IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) treatment.
In the last 30 years of her practice, she has helped hundreds of childless couples fulfill their dream of parenthood, besides successfully handling challenging cases like the birth of triplets and delivery for a 50-year woman. Today, Dr Jyoti Shah is among the top gynecologist and infertility specialists in the western suburbs of Mumbai.
She wants to make IVF treatment affordable and reach out to poor sections of the community. Every year, she travels to Kutch to participate in camps organized by local charitable trusts where she conducts hysterectomies free of cost.
Soft-spoken and a gentle person, she juggles her responsibility of raising two young boys (both are currently pursuing medicine ) and managing Maa Nursing Home and Netrajyoti Eyecare Centre, a hospital set up by her father. Yet, she never misses her Kathak dance practice and morning yoga sessions.
Leading a simple lifestyle and complete dedication to her field, she quotes Swami Vivekananda “Take up an idea. Make that one idea your life; dream of it; think of it; live on that idea. Let the brain, the body, muscles, nerves, every part of your body be full of that idea and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success …”
Looking back at her journey of the last three decades, she says that I could not have asked for anything more in life.
Dr Jyoti Shah works full-time with Maa Nursing Home and Netrajyoti Eyecare Centre and consults at various charitable hospitals in Mumbai.