Ordinary Faces Extraordinary Work

Dr. Ravindra Koelhe

In India, Doctors are meant to be rich. Dr Ravindra Koelhe, MD had all the qualifications to be rich and live a luxurious life but he chose the other way. After studies, most Doctors head towards places, where they can earn but Dr. Ravindra Koelhe went to a Tribal Region to serve people and not to earn.

Dr Ravindra Koelhe, MD, lives and runs a clinic in Melghat of Maharasthra since last 24 years and charges only Rs. 2 for the first visit and Rs. 1 for the second visit from Tribal patients. 

After completing his MBBS, he worked in Melghat for a year-and-a-half only to realise that he needed more expertise to handle the problems of the tribals. So he went back to medical college for an MD in preventive and social medicine.

"I have now been here for 24 years. In those days there were two public health centres and no roads. Once a week, I used to walk 40 kms from Dharni to Bairagarh to reach my clinic. I used to see at least one tiger every month. Since the last three years I haven't seen a single one," he says remembering his early days as a young doctor. 

After completing his MBBS from Nagpur University, he decided to work in rural India. An ardent follower of Mahatma Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave, he was also influenced by Ruskin Bond who wrote, 'If you want to serve mankind, go and work among the poorest and most neglected'. We can not count how many actually understood and followed what Bond said, but yes Dr. Ravindra Koelhe is one of those selfless souls who understood each and every word that Bond wrote.

He toured the rural areas of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and decided that Gadricholi in Maharashtra was the most backward amongst his travels and decided to work there. His mother discouraged him since it was a Naxalite affected area. She told him that Melghat was equally backward and that he should work here instead.

Dr Koelhe has been in Melghat since then. It has been 24 years now. ( This years can be different as I am using old data so may be its now more than 24 years.)

Melghat means the place where mountains meet. It lies on the Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh border and is easily one of the most beautiful places in the country, its greenery only broken by the brightly coloured clothes of the Korku tribals who have made these mountains their home.But the region's beauty is overshadowed by its hostile terrain. Its infrastructure is deplorable. The roads are pathetic, the only way one can access its remote villages is in rugged four-wheel jeep.

Melghat's problems are far too many. There is no power for miles, new power lines are discouraged because this a designated tiger reserve. Though the tiger is rarely spotted here, the so-called presence of the tiger has contributed to the total neglect of this region.

The poor tribals live off the land. They cultivate their small patch of fields on the incline of the mountains. There is no irrigation system and no wells because there is no power to pump the water.In this wilderness, Dr Koelhe has stayed on to alleviate the misery of the tribals.

He feels Melghat is a socio-economic problem, which needs to be dealt with holistically.

"We as doctors can look after them when they fall sick, but there are other shortcomings that have to be addressed like education, skill enhancement and assured economic activity through out the year."

"When I came here the infant mortality rate was close to 200 per 1,000 babies. Now it is 60. In Kerala it is 8 and in rural India 9. We have to bring it down to the national level. That is why I have filed a public interest litigation in the Mumbai high court." Discussing the case, he says, "We have filed our affidavits. Now the government has to reply. They don't file a reply for months together. Who can do anything? We want to sit down and discuss the problem and solution, but they don't want to sit with us. We cannot force them."