Odisha’s Malkangiri district has many villages that are almost impossible to access due to the absence of any mode of transport. This district which comprises of 50 remote villages, several inaccessible tribal hamlets, and two residential schools at Badadural and Markapadar is also one of the worst affected by Maoist violence.

People in Malkangiri do not have even basic health care facilities. However, they are very fortunate to have a dedicated and helpful doctor whom they all can fall back on in the event of any illness and emergency. Shakti Prasad Mishra is an Ayurvedic physician who has been serving marginalized tribal communities under a Union government project since 2012.

Every morning, the doctor and his team start on their arduous journey to any one village. Sometimes he has to walk many kilometers and trek hills to visit his patients. He says that the smiles on the faces of the patients eagerly waiting for him make him forget the sweat and stress that he had taken to reach them.

Dr. Mishra’s ‘clinic’ is the only clinic in the entire remote district of Malkangiri and the doctor is the only hope for health and sanitation in Khairaput block, where even mobile phones go dead. Mishra treats over a thousand patients each month. He also makes the villages aware of health and sanitation matters. He treats common diseases, distributes medicines and conducts timely check-ups of pregnant women and children.

Dr. Mishra also has a team that helps to transport patients to hospitals in cases of emergency. He distributes allopathic medicines using the basic diagnostic skills learned during his BAMS course. There is no doubt that this doctor is the most indispensable person in the district of Malkangiri.

Image Source: The Hindu