Dr Ashish Satav and Dr Kavita Satav won the Health Leader Of The Year at NDTV Indian Of The Year 2025. In an interview with Gargi Rawat, Senior Anchor and Editorial Head, Special Projects at NDTV, the doctor couple speak about their journey and what led them to serve the people in the forests of the Melghat region of Maharashtra. Dr Ashish Satav also shares how their work has been able to bring policy changes, not just in Maharashtra but also in several other states.
Dr Ashish Satav's Inspiration
Dr Satav says that he was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's ideologies and that is what led him to serve the people of Melghat. He adds that he was in the 7th standard when he read a book written by Mahatma Gandhi, The Story of My Experiments with Truth. Gandhi, in the book, mentions that real India lives in villages and that one should go there to work and serve the real India. "And my grandfather, Mr. Vasantrao Bombatkar, who worked with Mahatma Gandhi, always motivated me for social work. Hence, I decided to go to some rural area and provide my services. After joining medical college, I went to Dr. Abhay Bang and Dr. Prakash Amte and other tribal areas of Melghat and Gadchiroli."
He also said that it was after visiting these areas, he realised that the health conditions of these areas were bad. Children were dying, the infant mortality rate was high and maternal mortality rate was very high. Adults mortality was extremely high, 2.3 times compared to the rest of India. Most of the children were suffering from malnutrition, 20% were severely malnourished. It was then that he realised that these areas need his services. "Hence, we decided to go and start our work," he added.
Dr Kavita's Journey
Dr Kavita shares that it was her husband's dream to serve the people of rural India. She adds that she comes from a family who always served people. Her family worked in the forest department and always donated whatever he could to the underprivileged. Likewise, her mother, who was a primary school teacher, served at the neighbourhood hospital, always engaged in serving the patients till they were discharged. "I came from a sound background. My elder sister is an ophthalmologist, brother and sister are MTech and PhD in their fields and I am the youngest. So there was no familial responsibility as such."
The MAHAN Trust
The doctor couple began their journey from a "hospital in a hut" facility and they later developed the Mahatma Gandhi Tribal Hospital, a 30-bed multispecialty facility in Dharni. When Dr Satav began his journey, it was difficult for him to convince the tribal people of his work. He said that 99 per cent of the people went to traditional faith healers. Not just that, there were several superstitions as well, which came in the way. However, after years of work, the couple were able to gain the trust of the people.
Over nearly 30 years, they transitioned from treating individuals to building a systemic healthcare model through their NGO, MAHAN Trust. Their initiatives have significantly impacted the region, leading to a reported 68% reduction in child mortality and a 75% reduction in malnutrition in their operating areas.
Bringing Policy Change
When Dr Satav began working to reduce malnutrition and child mortality in Melghat, he discovered stark discrepancies in the data. "Malnutrition prevalence was around 10% in our assessments, compared to the government's reported 1.2%. Infant mortality stood at 106 per 1,000 live births in our findings, versus the government's figure of 31 per 1,000," he added.
We realised that without bringing out the true situation, the government would not develop effective plans. We persistently advocated, from local departments to the state level, urging officials to acknowledge the reality. Only after our data was published in newspapers did the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly raise questions, prompting the formation of a committee. The committee visited our area, reviewed our findings, inspected villages, examined every malnourished child, and investigated each reported death. They validated our data after they were convinced of under-reporting in government records.
We also understood that this was not just the situation in Melghat. It also affected 10% of India's tribal population and 20% of its rural population. To bring systemic change, we mobilised government action through research and publications. "Ultimately, we filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Mumbai High Court, leading to revisions in 38 state government policies that have benefited over 1 million people," said Dr Satav.
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