Here is a story that could captivate the imagination of Rajkumar Hirani for his next movie.
Dr. Anurag and Madhavi Bhargava, the dedicated physician pair, were prominently featured in The Lancet yesterday, with a full page dedicated to describing their impactful work as self-identified social physicians.
Having known the couple for nearly three decades, witnessing The Lancet spotlight their contributions brought immense joy to my heart. This well-deserved recognition speaks of their expertise, skills, social commitment, empathy for underserved populations, and their ground-breaking intervention that halved death rates in TB.
Anurag’s journey, graduating from GMC Nagpur, pursuing MD(Medicine) at AIIMS, teaching at Pramukhswami Medical College in Gujarat where he met and married Madhavi, followed by a decade and a half navigating the tribal landscapes of Bilaspur, is truly remarkable. His hunger for research led both Anurag and Madhavi to McGill, where they spent two fruitful years mastering epidemiology. After a brief stint as a physician in Dehradun, they settled at Yenepoya, accepting faculty positions.
The turning point in their journey was 1999 when four couples, including Anurag and Madhavi, chose to forsake lucrative academic careers at AIIMS Delhi and committed to serving tribal populations. They founded Jan Swasthya Sahyog, a non-profit, in the village of Ganiyari near Bilaspur, aiming to provide healthcare that was responsive to the felt needs of the communities they lived with and worked for.
The days spent in Ganiyari profoundly exposed the Bhargavas to the stark reality: chronic hunger is a significant risk factor for TB and TB deaths. This revelation propelled the ground-breaking RATIONS trial, a study recently published in The Lancet.
The findings are unequivocal: providing sufficient food to TB victims can be a lifesaving intervention. The study’s message is clear and powerfulโaddressing chronic hunger can significantly impact and potentially save lives in the fight against TB.
Madhuri, balancing family commitments with academics, worked alongside Anurag, contributing to research and executing the clinical trial.
Their trial garnered international attention, highlighting a groundbreaking achievement in TB intervention. The simple act of providing sufficient food to TB patients in Jharkhand demonstrated a remarkable outcomeโhalving mortality rates.
The couple found themselves in the spotlight, extensively interviewed by the media, eager to unravel the connection between food and its transformative impact akin to a TB vaccine.
In their journey, Anurag and Madhavi exemplify modesty, humility, and empathy. Their commitment to community health, outstanding academic achievements, mastery in bedside medicine, and their deep friendship make them exemplary physicians. And we do not have too many such social physicians in the country now.
Congratulations, Madhavi and Anuragโyours is truly a Bollywood story of dedication and impact!