This mother’s day, I take the opportunity to introduce you to one of the most distinguished personality. He is not greeted with a salute by a cop when he is out on the roads neither is he followed by a trail of fans crying for autographs. But still Dr. Ganesh Rakh is one of the most important persons in this country.

He runs “Medicare Gynecology Hospital” in Pune’s Hadpsar area. In a densely populated country like India, this is considered a profitable business, so what’s the big deal in it?

Well, the big deal is, for Dr. Rakh this is not a business. He has voiced his concern for the girls in India by giving free medical assistance on the birth of a girl child.

In today’s scenario when doctors are caught playing the foul game of converting a normal delivery into a cesarean just for the sake of money, Dr. rakh has emerged as an angel by charging nothing whether it’s a normal {Rs. 10,000} or cesarean {25000} delivery of a girl child.

The possibility of a girl’s birth is 50% which means Dr. rakh provides free medical help to almost half the people.

When I asked what made him start such a noble cause, his answer threw a light on the dark underbelly of our society.

He was poignant, “According to my experience, when a boy is born in a family, it calls for a celebration. Relatives pour in in huge numbers to the hospital but sadly it is quite the opposite when a girl enters the family. Relatives disappear from the clinic. If a boy is born, sweets are distributed; the hospital bill is paid with a huge smile. But when a girl is born, they vehemently argue on reducing the bill amount. Questions are raised on every tit bit. The truth is, by a large section in this country, even today a girl’s birth is mourned rather than celebrated.”

“And so I decided that we will give free medical treatment on the birth of a girl. No disagreements, no harsh discussions. We even distribute sweets and give a warm welcome to a baby girl. Just putting posts about women power on social media and worshiping mother goddess doesn’t make a difference if in real life the birth of a girl is not welcomed with open arms and heart.”

Dr.Rakh also mentioned that many times, new borns need neo natal treatment. “If a boy is weak or disabled in any way, the family opts for the best possible treatment but in case of a girl, they prefer her to be dead rather than going through a treatment, which is appalling. And so we decided on giving neo natal treatment also free to girls.”

Let me tell you, he has not inherited any fortune from his forefathers. His father was a coolie. He says, “We manage this with whatever little we make.” The building in which he runs his hospital is not his own, but on rent. Right from the landlord, some consulting doctors, to the staff of the hospital, they all equally participate in this cause. Consulting doctors don’t charge them on the birth of a girl; staff people understand if they can’t withdraw their salaries on time.

It is rightly said, that there is more to kindness than signing cheques in public. Dr. Ganesh Rakh is a true ambassador of “save the girl child” campaign. And an inspiration for our society.

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You can contact Dr Ganesh Rakh at:

Medicarehospital2012@gmail.com
09850403026

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We often see social media postings about "It happens only in India!" Many boundaries are breaking and we see inspiring stories of breakthrough efforts and achievements from unexpected corners. 

Now and then we read news stories of individuals achieving great feats, in spite of all barriers. A young girl from Kerala creates a new machine or a small town boy from Maharashtra designs a new kind of bicycle. A flurry of likes and shares on Facebook begins.

The comments if translated into an emotional equivalent says:

"Way to go India! Let's conquer the world!"

The Objective Look:

Now let us take the patriotic blinkers off and look at the situation in an international perspective. It's a race and there are many more countries competing with us. We might be faster than before, but not fast enough! The data suggests in comparison to others we are getting back.

As per the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Index:

Beyond Numbers:

We are fond of comparing ourselves with the Chinese economy. Recent news reports suggests that we are overtaking China in terms of growth percentage. They are at rank 28. Which is 41 ranks ahead of us. A huge difference.

But it not just numbers that's important. In the survey countries are divided into various stages. We are in the 'factor' driven economy. The lowest category.

It means we are still competing on the basis of unskilled labor, natural resources and low prices.

The next stage is efficiency driven economy where you compete on better productivity, efficient processes and quality of output produced. China is an efficiency driven economy.

So, just multiplying what we do is not good enough. We have to focus on the qualitative aspects. 

Some people will be quick to suggest that UPA 2 and its dismal performance is responsible for this reversal in the trend from 2009.

I don't want to get into that debate. As a country what matters is that we are not doing well. We all must put our act together. We must establish institutions and systems which can convert available resources and talents into future projects. What we are doing is not good enough, we must push ourselves.

Now there are 2 choices:

1: Some of us can outright discard these surveys.

Because it really looks like a paradox. We see so much energy in our youths. Entrepreneurial spirit is high. And yet we are lagging behind.

2: Let's take it as an indicator, get our act together and make the most of our resources.

What you suggest?

Links: For an in depth study here is the complete report for you.

Revised: 15.3.2015

We see a strong sense of pride in India today.

So, I don't wonder when I see the social media postings about "It happens only in India!"

Now and then we read news stories of individuals achieving great feats, in spite of all barriers. A flurry of likes and shares on Facebook begins.

The comments if translated into an emotional equivalent says:

"Way to go India! Let's conquer the world!"

But let us take out the patriotic blinkers and have a look at the reality. We will soon realize, it's a race and there are many more countries competing with us. We might be faster than before, but not fast enough! In comparison to others we are getting back.

As per the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Index:

It's no sign of a world leader!

Earlier we got ahead of countries like Brazil but now we are trailing them, even when they are falling themselves..

We are fond of comparing ourselves with the Chinese economy. They are at rank 28. Which is 41 ranks ahead of us. A huge difference.

In the survey countries are divided into various stages. We are in the 'factor' driven economy. The lowest category. We have to do a lot to increase our productivity as well as innovation efforts to get to the next level. 

Now there are 2 choices:

1: Some of us can outright discard these surveys.

Because it really looks like a paradox. We see so much energy in our youths. Entrepreneurial spirit is high. And yet we are lagging behind.

2: Let's take it as an indicator, get our act together and make the most of our resources.

What you suggest?

Links: For an in depth study here is the completer report for you -
http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GlobalCompetitivenessReport_2014-15.pdf