On National Doctors’ Day, celebrating the healers who chose humanity over comfort

Every year on July 1, India celebrates National Doctors’ Day in honour of the country’s medical professionals, individuals who dedicate their lives to healing others. For most of us, a doctor is someone we meet in a clinic, a hospital, or perhaps during an emergency. But across the farthest and most neglected corners of India, there exists a rare breed of doctors who go far beyond the confines of white-walled hospitals. These are the doctors who have rejected lucrative offers, metropolitan lifestyles, and career growth to serve those left behind.

At Give.do, we are proud to support some of these extraordinary individuals and the organisations they lead. Their commitment is not just about treating illness, but about transforming lives and communities. This National Doctors’ Day, we shine a light on five powerful stories of service and sacrifice. These doctors have not only brought medical care to the most deprived but have done so with a vision of compassion, equity, and resilience.

 The Melghat Mission: MAHAN Trust and the Satavs 

Dr. Ashish Satav and Dr. Kavita Satav could have chosen a comfortable life anywhere in the world. Both highly qualified, they had opportunities waiting in cities and abroad. But their path changed when Dr Ashis chose to answer a deep calling and visited Melghat, a deeply forested and impoverished tribal region in Maharashtra. Shocked by the lack of even basic healthcare and the heart-wrenching rates of child mortality, the couple made a decision that would redefine their lives.

They moved to Melghat and founded MAHAN Trust with the sole aim of bringing healthcare to those who had none. From trekking through forests to reach patients in villages without roads, to treating malnutrition, tuberculosis, and maternal complications, the Satavs have become lifelines for entire communities. They didn’t just treat patients, they trained local health workers, created awareness campaigns, and developed a model of community-centred care that can be replicated across rural India. Today, their work continues to evolve, saving countless lives while giving Melghat a new sense of hope and health. Support them here.

 Fighting cancer with compassion: Dr. Amruta Tripathi and Charutar Arogya Mandal 

Cancer is not just a disease, for the poor in India, it often becomes a death sentence. The costs of diagnosis, treatment, chemotherapy, and follow-ups are far beyond the reach of low-income families. Dr. Amruta Tripathi, a senior oncologist at Charutar Arogya Mandal in Gujarat, saw this reality daily and chose to act.

Dr. Tripathi treats cancer patients who simply cannot afford care. With unwavering dedication, she ensures that no patient is turned away for lack of money. Her work includes not only providing free chemotherapy and radiotherapy but also counselling families, ensuring follow-ups, and standing beside her patients through their most difficult days. She has turned Charutar Arogya Mandal into a place of second chances, especially for those who never expected one. Her work is funded in part through crowdfunding in India, and her story has inspired many to contribute, showing that charity and healthcare can go hand in hand. Support the cause here.

 Bringing light to the forgotten: Nanritam and the gift of sight 

Blindness can be isolating, and in rural India, where dependency is already high, losing one’s eyesight can mean the end of dignity and independence. Nanritam, an NGO based in West Bengal, has dedicated itself to tackling this silent epidemic among the elderly poor. Through free cataract surgeries and eye care interventions, Nanritam is restoring sight to thousands who had resigned themselves to a world of darkness.

Nanritam’s doctors and healthcare workers travel to remote villages, set up camps, conduct screenings, and perform surgeries at no cost. Many of the beneficiaries are elderly parents abandoned by their children or living in deep poverty. Restoring their vision often restores their lives. They can walk without help, cook, engage with their grandchildren, and even work again. It’s not just about surgery; it’s about returning dignity to lives that had been quietly pushed aside. Their work reminds us that healthcare is not a privilege, but a basic right. To help elderly patients with cataract surgeries, click here.

 Healing the invisible: Dr. Abhijit Sonawane the ‘Doctor for Beggars’ & Soham Trust 

In the bustling city of Pune, where hospitals cater to thousands, one doctor has chosen to treat patients who have no address, no Aadhaar card, and no money. Dr. Abhijit Sonawane, known as the ‘Doctor for Beggars,’ left a high-paying job to provide medical care to the homeless. With his mobile clinic—essentially a backpack and a scooter—he moves across the city, treating the sick, the disabled, and the destitute who live under flyovers, at railway stations, and on footpaths.

Dr. Abhijit doesn’t ask for names or documents. He asks how people are feeling. He checks blood pressure, treats wounds, manages diabetes, and gives people medicine they couldn’t possibly afford. Through Soham Trust, he has turned his work into a movement, raising awareness about urban homelessness and healthcare inequality. He represents what it means to serve with dignity—meeting people where they are, with zero judgement and complete empathy.

 The pioneers of rural medicine: Dr. Ravindra and Dr. Smita Kolhe 

Before there were roads, before there were hospitals, before any NGO had set foot in Melghat, there were Dr. Ravindra Kolhe and Dr. Smita Kolhe. Armed with little more than their medical degrees, conviction, and a vision, they began walking for hours across tribal lands to reach patients who had never seen a doctor. They charged Re. 1 for a consultation and often returned with grains and vegetables as payment.

But they quickly realised that medicine alone wouldn’t change the community’s destiny. So, they expanded their work to include nutrition, sanitation, women’s empowerment, education, agriculture, and even forestry. They introduced solar lights, facilitated road building, set up grain banks, and trained tribal youth as community workers. Over decades, they transformed one of the most underserved regions in India into a model of self-reliance. Their contribution earned them the Padma Shri, but more importantly, they earned the lifelong gratitude of thousands of families who now live longer, healthier, and more empowered lives.

 A call to honour and support 

These doctors represent the soul of what medicine was always meant to be, a service. On this National Doctors’ Day, we honour not just their degrees, but their decisions. Decisions to walk away from wealth and recognition, and instead walk toward the unknown, the forgotten, and the unseen.

As India’s most trusted platform for crowdfunding for NGOs, Give.do is privileged to amplify some of their missions. You too can join hands with these healers by supporting their work through online donations. Whether you are searching for a credible NGO donation website or simply looking for a cause that resonates with your values, their stories show you exactly where your contribution can change lives.

Because healing is not just a profession. For some, it is a calling.