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