Dr Bhakti Yadav: Indore's first female doctor continues to give free treatment to her patients at 91

BY GORKY BAKSHI

This year President Pranab Mukharjee conferred Padam Shri to Indore’s first woman MBBS Dr Bhakti Yadav. This award was not for conferred to her for being the first lady doctor, but also because of her endless efforts to make a better society. She is 91-years-old and has been giving free gynaecological treatment, for the last 68 years.

She wants to serve people till the last breath of her life. She has delivered thousands of babies without taking any fee since 1948. Her journey has never been smooth, and she traveled from Madhya Pradesh to  Gujarat, Rajasthan and many more places only to deliver the babies, but has never asked for money from the patient who worship her like god.

Dr Bhakti Yadav Bio-

Her Life

She was born on 3 April 1926 in a small town of Ujjain called Mahidpur. She completed her primary education from Garoth town school while she completed her high school from Indore’s Ahilya Ashram School. She stayed with her uncle and worked hard to get admission in a medical college and finally she entered the MGM Medical College of Indore in 1948.

It was only after taking admission that she got to know that she was the only girl in Indore who was pursuing this course. She successfully completed her degree course and started treating people. In a press briefing she said: “My early career life and my present are almost same. Earlier, I used to treat people for free just for experience but later I have realized that it is life that I have to live this only.”

About 70 years have been passed since her graduation and thousands of mothers successfully delivered babies in her hands. In between Dr Yadav got several offers from prominent hospitals to work with them, but she refused those jobs and joined Nandlal Bhandari Maternity Home to help the wives of poor cloth mill workers.

She headed the maternity home for several decades, before eventually started her own nursing home, Vatsalya, in Pardeshipura area. As a gynaecologist, she has delivered thousands of babies, without charging any fee from the patients. At the age of 91, Dr Bhakti Yadav has become physically weak, but continuous to treat the poor. “I don’t know how many breaths are with me but my only wish is to serving people until my last breath.”

Her methodology’ 

Hundreds of unique technologies have been developed since her graduation but she still believes in traditional medical practices. Her son Dr Chetan Yadav informs:: “She doesn’t use sonography machine and still uses traditional methodology.  She only uses home remedies and contemporary medicines.” Dr Chetan Yadav said that she bonds with her patients, so that the treatment becomes easier. Today Dr Bhakti Yadav is bed ridden. She fell down and suffered several fractures. Her son informed that, “She said that she is happy because everyone is happy with announcement of award (Padam Sri). Her only concern for is that nobody should suffer due to lack of medicine and treatment.”