Association Of Rural Surgeons Of India

Dr. Nibedita Pramanik

Dr. Nibedita Pramanik, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. S. Pramanik, was born and raised in Rourkela, Odisha. She is currently the Director of Evangelical Hospital Society, Khariar, where she has been serving the rural community of Nuapada district since 2007 in various roles—as a junior medical officer, surgeon, and since 2015, as the hospital’s director.

She completed her MBBS from CMC Vellore in 2001 and her postgraduate training in General Surgery in 2009. Deeply moved by the poverty and unmet medical needs of Khariar, she committed her life to mission service. In 2012, she established the first laparoscopic surgery unit in the district and has since performed over 1,000 laparoscopic procedures and more than 10,000 surgeries overall.

A versatile and highly respected surgeon, Dr. Pramanik has addressed a wide range of surgical needs, including general surgery, oncology, urology, pediatrics, gynecology, ENT, trauma, and orthopedics—often in settings with limited resources. Under her leadership, key advancements were introduced, including CT scan services in 2018 and ICU and HDU facilities in 2019.

Her special interest lies in oncological surgery, including head and neck, breast, thyroid, and gastrointestinal cancers. Recognizing the lack of end-of-life care in the region, she undertook formal training in palliative medicine in 2022 and currently supports over 80 patients through comprehensive palliative care. She has also received additional training in urology and regularly organizes pediatric surgery camps with visiting surgeons from CMC Vellore.

Dr. Pramanik envisions transforming Evangelical Hospital Khariar into a well-equipped tertiary care mission hospital—a “mini CMC”—offering compassionate, competent care to the most neglected. Her dedicated service has earned her several honors, including the CMAI Young Medical Missionary Award (2017), the Shakti Samman Award (2023), and the Dr. Emmanuel Sunder Raj Memorial Award from CMC Vellore in 2024.

Dr Dilip Gahankari

Dr. Dilip Gahankari is a plastic surgeon based on the Gold Coast, Australia, whose journey began in a small village near Chandrapur in India. Raised with humble beginnings, he completed his early education in Balasha before pursuing medicine at Government Medical College, Nagpur, where he earned his MBBS and MS degrees.

He went on to specialize in plastic surgery, completing his MCh in Mumbai, followed by advanced surgical training in the United Kingdom, earning his FRCS from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. He later moved to Australia, where he completed his FRCS in Plastic Surgery and is now well established in clinical practice.

Despite his international career, his commitment to giving back has remained strong. Inspired during his final year of medical school by the great social reformer Dr. Baba Amte, he and his classmates formed a student-led initiative to serve the tribal communities of Melghat—an effort that continues to this day.

Since 2007, he has returned regularly to Melghat to provide reconstructive plastic surgery in collaboration with Dr. Ashish Satav and Dr. Kavita Satav through the organization MAHAN. Over 17 surgical camps—held almost every year except during the COVID-19 pandemic—he and his team have delivered life-changing care to some of the most underserved populations.

Their work addresses complex reconstructive needs, including cleft lip and palate, burn contractures, cancer reconstruction, vascular malformations, hand surgery, and other tumors, with a special focus on women and children who otherwise have no access to such care. Equally important is his commitment to involving medical students and young surgeons, fostering awareness and service-minded leadership.

His journey reflects excellence in surgery combined with a deep commitment to humanity, making him truly deserving of this recognition.

Mr Babucham Rongmei

When we talk about task-sharing and task-shifting in low-resource settings, we may speak of policies and systems. But the true focus is on people—those phenomenal champions who break boundaries, innovate against all odds, and redefine what is possible in surgical care. Developing Competency over Complaining! 

One such champion walks the corridors of Cachar Centre Hospital in Assam. Today, he is an indispensable force in the operating room, performing an array of procedures—from intubation and anesthesia maintenance to ryles’ tube insertion and foley’s tube insertions,  from assisting in surgery to laparotomy incision closure, doing IV Cannulation, or even wound debridement, and skin grafting, or handling post-operative flap pedicel divisions. 

What is the catch here? He is not a ‘surgeon’ by profession. Meet a 53-year-old OT technician with an inspiring 25-year journey in rural surgery. His story is one of resilience, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to care.

He started his journey as a sweeper and cleaner, with empty stomachs and uncertain tomorrows. But he refused to be limited by his circumstances. He pursued education till matrix, overcoming hurdles, and while his dream of becoming a doctor remained just out of reach, he found a way to heal—through his hands, his head, and his heart.

His contributions go far beyond the surgical field including autoclaving instruments. When high-cost repairs threatened access to care, he found a way to unclog and fix blocked endoscopes at a fraction of the cost. So he doesn’t just use medical equipment—he repairs and maintains them. He ensures that endoscopes, monitors, microscopes, anesthesia machines, and syringe pumps remain functional, often with techniques that save thousands of rupees. When an expensive retractor handle was needed, he didn’t order one—he made one from a whiteboard marker. There are more such ‘jugaad’ innovations.

 In every stitch he places in uniform, in every machine he fixes, and in every young learner he hopes to guide, he embodies the spirit of self-reliance and sustainability.

As a forever student himself, he believes that a student should approach the guru with humility and effort, seeking wisdom with sincerity, rather than waiting for it to be passively handed to them on a silver platter.—and today, his mission is also to train and inspire the next generation.

A true pioneer, a true teacher, and a true hero.

Dr Himanshu Gupta

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Trained in the city of Bangalore and then in radiation oncology at Raipur, Dr Himanshu returned to his hometown of Ambikapur due to family circumstances. But what makes him different is that he chose to stay and make a difference to the people of his hometown. He started working at a PHC which has now got the status of a CHC and was instrumental to set up the first chemotherapy day care unit in the area named as the Dheergayu ward.

His efforts have enabled him to touch the lives of nearly 300 patients(3000 cycles) per year over a period of 2 years.

For his efforts he has received recognition from various organisations and he owes the success to the efforts of the team he has managed to create and retain.

He has gone beyond chemotherapy and has made it a palliative care unit dealing with interventions like pleural and ascitic tapping as well.

He has through his dedicated efforts managed to build trust in the community and he connects well with them by organising events and celebrating the cancer survivors as well.

He believes in going the extra mile to ensure that his patients get the benefits of the various schemes by the government and his dynamism has helped him get the support of the local IMA and the local collector and the people in power who have helped him provide good quality and accessible cancer treatment for his patients.

At a young age of 34 he has managed to create an impact to people’s lives and continues to work towards his dream “ to help his people get treatment at their own place and not have to travel hundreds of kilometers to get what is required”