India's unsung hero: Dr Bhakti Yadav, treating patients for free since 1948

Gynaecologist Dr Bhakti Yadav from Indore in Madhya Pradesh who also won Padma Shri award has been treating patients free of cost.

Yadav, 91, is the first woman from Indore to hold an MBBS degree. She has been treating patients free of cost for the past 68 years and has helped deliver thousands of babies.

Yadav, who was born on April 3, 1926 in Ujjain district is also known as Doctor Dadi. Yadav completed her schooling from Ahilya Ashram in Indore. She completed her MBBS from Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College in Indore in 1948. However, since the very beginning, she never used her qualification to get money. Meanwhile, her two doctor sons, Dr Chetan and his wife Dr Sunita Yadav and Dr Raman Yadav are now running the nursing home.

She refused to work in a government hospital and instead joined Nandlal Bhandari Maternity Home, which catered to the wives of poor cloth mill workers. For many decades, she headed the maternity home, and later, started her own nursing home, Vatsalya, in Pardeshipura area.

At the age of 91, despite her ill health, she continues to work for the weaker and marginalised people. She wishes to keep serving people until her last breath.

Yadav's free of cost treatment attracts patients not only from MP but also from Rajasthan and Gujrat.

Yadav is currently bedridden after she fell down and suffered fractures. According to Yadav,''I am happy that everyone is happy (after the announcement of the award). What is important is that people get benefitted with my actions."

Yadav was inspired by her parents to serve the poor and strong support from her late husband and batch-mate Dr Chandra Singh Yadav.

OneIndia News