27 Years of Mahatma Gandhi Tribal Hospital: A Journey of Service, Struggle, and Fulfilment:

 

27 Years of Mahatma Gandhi Tribal Hospital: A Journey of Service, Struggle, and Fulfilment : glimpses by Dr Satav

On the night of 1st September and the early morning of 2nd September 1998, we arrived in Dharni with a truck full of hospital equipment and our personal belongings. It was not just a physical shift from the comforts of a medical college job to the difficult to access, hilly, highly impoverished, forested tribal area of Melghat—it was a leap of faith into the unknown. With no financial support, only a burning desire to serve the poorest of the poor, we anchored ourselves in the Gandhian belief that “real India lives in villages and youth should go to villages to serve mother India,” and in Swami Vivekananda’s conviction that service to humanity is service to God.

Today, as the Mahatma Gandhi Tribal Hospital completes 27 years, we look back with immense gratitude and fulfilment. The journey was filled with countless struggles, uncertainties, and challenges. Yet, never once did we think of retreating. The faith of the people of Melghat, and our shared vision of reducing needless deaths, blindness and malnutrition, gave us strength.

Over these 27 years, MAHAN has touched lakhs of lives. Expert physicians, surgeons, and paediatricians have treated more than 1.39 lakh patients, including 5,404 critical cases like heart attacks, sepsis, coma, and cerebral malaria. Over 2,938 free eye surgeries restored vision, and 36,194 people were saved from blindness. Our home-based childcare program reduced child deaths by 75.59%, while malnutrition control programs helped 80% of severely malnourished children recover, with mortality well below WHO targets. Our adult mortality control program significantly reduced deaths of economically productive age group people. Today we celebrated the anniversary by saving 5 poor serious tribal patients.

Through advocacy, research, and public interest litigation, MAHAN’s work has influenced 38 state policies and improved hospital deliveries from 2% to over 70%. Our efforts in nutrition, de-addiction, maternal care, adolescent health, blindness prevention, and even pioneering global-first innovations like community MITS in an ambulance have brought recognition and replication across India and beyond.

Most importantly, we could save more than 4,928 precious lives in our hospital—each one a testimony that perseverance and compassion can conquer despair. Our efforts were recognised globally including WHO public health champion award, world economic forum award and other 78 awards.

As we celebrate this 27th anniversary, both Kavita and I feel deeply content that our decision in 1998 was the right one. We may have left behind a secure life, but what we received is far more profound—the blessings of thousands of tribal families, the joy of seeing lives saved, and the satisfaction of living true to the ideals of Mahatma Gandhiji and Vivekananda.

The journey continues, and with every passing year, our commitment only deepens. For us, service in Melghat has not just been a profession, but indeed, a form of worship. Thanks a lot to numerous supporters, donors, well-wishers, our families, trustees of MAHAN, local tribal community and staff, whose support made our journey happy.

Timeline: Sept 2025

Helping the Helping Hands

For the past several months, MAHAN is fortunate to receive generous support from kind-hearted donors who enabled us to provide free meals to the poor tribal patients admitted at our Mahatma Gandhi Tribal Hospital. 

This simple act of compassion has brought immense relief to patients and their relatives—many of whom live in extreme poverty and otherwise struggle even for basic food during hospitalization. Adequate nutrition has not only reduced their suffering but also improved recovery and treatment outcomes.

Every meal served is not just food—it is hope, dignity, and a vital step toward healing for those who often endure life in silence and deprivation.

In case of unavailability of food, many poor patients and their relatives are left to manage food on their own, which is a heavy burden in this remote, resource-scarce region.

Responding to appeal, Mr. Sudhir ji & Mrs. Rita madam Budhe came forward and sponsored Tea, breakfast and 2 meals to patients for six months.

MAHAN trust and tribal of Melghat are thankful to them from bottom of heart.

Timeline : Oct 2025

The Midnight Vigil: A Melghat Story

 The Midnight Vigil: A Melghat Story

The thin, cool air of the Melghat night was shattered by the distant whine of an engine. It was midnight, an hour when the deep forests and remote hills are usually reclaimed by silence. But at the Mahatma Gandhi Tribal Hospital, the team was awake, a familiar tension settling in. A call had come—a post-natal patient, unstable, and on her way.

For hours, Dr. Vankhede, the Taluka Medical Officer, and Dr. Satankar, the Medical Officer of the local PHC, had been fighting a desperate battle. A new mother, someone who should have been celebrating, was in peril. In their rural clinic, with its limited resources, they had exhausted every option. The numbers on the monitor weren't improving. They had made the only call they could: move her.

The journey was a race against the clock, on roads that wound through the darkness of the reserve. This wasn't just a patient transfer; it was a heavy burden, a life they personally carried on their shoulders.

At 12:00 AM sharp, the ambulance doors burst open at the Mahatma Gandhi tribal hospital of MAHANtrust. The team, led by experienced doctor Dr. Satav, was ready. The patient was rushed in, a flurry of organized chaos.

But Dr. Vankhede and Dr. Satankar didn't leave. Their duty wasn't over at the hospital door.

Exhausted, their faces etched with the worry of the past several hours, they stood by. They didn't retreat to their vehicle or a waiting room. They entered the fray alongside the hospital staff, providing a meticulous, urgent history. They were not just government doctors; they were that woman's primary guardians, and they would not hand her over until they were sure she was anchored.

For the next ninety minutes, the two government doctors became a part of the new team. They stood in the corner of the examination room, their eyes tracking every move, every vital sign. They were a living repository of the patient's case, answering questions before they were fully formed, offering insights, and silently willing the woman to fight.

It was 1:30 AM when the senior doctor satav and Dr. Kundan at the Mahatma Gandhi tribal hospital finally finished the primary examination. The patient, while still critical, was now under the comprehensive care of a fully-equipped team. A plan was in place. A fragile thread of stability had been established.

Only then, seeing the immediate crisis managed, did Dr. Vankhede and Dr. Satankar finally nod, a quiet, shared understanding passing between them and the hospital staff. Their shoulders, held rigid for hours, slumped just a fraction. Their vigil was over; the next one had begun for the hospital team.

As they walked out into the pre-dawn chill, they left behind more than just a patient. They left an indelible mark of dedication.

In a place like Melghat, the fight against maternal mortality isn't won by a single person or a single organization. It is won in the dark, in the space between a government PHC and a trust hospital like MAHAN's. It is won by doctors who see a person, not a statistic, and who refuse to accept defeat.

Melghat is lucky. It is protected by a shield of dedicated doctors, in both the government services and the MAHAN trust, who will stay until 1:30 in the morning—or as long as it takes—to guard a single life. Their tireless work is a silent salute to humanity itself.

Timeline - Nov 2025

The Lifeline of Compassion: A Story That Defines Our Mission

The Lifeline of Compassion: A Story That Defines Our Mission

In the pursuit of our mission—to serve the most vulnerable and marginalized—we often speak of dedication. Yesterday, a member of our team didn't just speak of it; he became the living embodiment of our greatest ideals.

We faced a critical moment in our Intensive Care Unit. A poor female tribal patient, admitted in a grave state with multiple complications, was battling for her life. Her condition was exacerbated by severe anemia, with a hemoglobin level of just 5.2 gm%—a dire indicator that immediate intervention, specifically a blood transfusion, was essential.

In keeping with the foundational principle of our work, she was receiving all care completely free of cost. This is the non-negotiable promise we make to the poor. Yet, a fundamental challenge remained: there were no relatives present to donate the crucial blood she needed to survive. The clock was ticking, and the situation was becoming increasingly desperate.

The Spirit of MAHAN in Action

It is in these moments of true need that the culture we build, inspired by the noble work of the MAHAN trust, shines brightest. Motivated not by duty alone, but by a profound, personal commitment to humanity, Ritesh, one of our dedicated male nurses, stepped forward.

Ritesh didn't wait for direction; he saw a human being on the edge and acted decisively. He donated his blood, offering a direct, life-saving lifeline to a patient he had never met, whose only plea was her quiet struggle for breath.

This single act was not merely a procedural donation; it was a powerful statement of courage and a monumental expression of empathy. Ritesh’s blood flowed, and with it, the critical components needed to stabilize her system, turning the tide from certain crisis to hopeful recovery.

A Motivation for All

We are profoundly happy and incredibly proud today. This is not just a successful medical outcome; it is proof that our staff—our heroes—are deeply motivated by the good work we do together.

To our youth, Ritesh's action demonstrates the ultimate purpose of service: that true strength lies in compassion, and the greatest success is the life you save with your own hands.

To our entire staff: You are the mission. Ritesh’s selflessness is a standard for all of us, reminding us that we are not just caregivers; we are guardians of hope. Thank you, Ritesh, for your incredible sacrifice and for showing us the power of a single, brave heart. You have saved a life, and in doing so, you have uplifted the spirit of every person who walks through our doors. 

Timeline of above: -Nov 2025