Meet Dr Ganesh Rakh: Pune Doctor Who Offers Free Treatment For Girl Child Deliveries, Praised By Amitabh Bachchan & Anand Mahindra (EXCLUSIVE VIDEO)

For more than a decade, Pune-based Dr Ganesh Rakh has been waging a battle against deep-rooted gender bias that has long cast a shadow over the birth of a girl child. Through his unique initiative, Save the Girl Child, Dr Rakh has delivered more than 2,500 baby girls free of cost in the past 14 years, turning what was once considered an occasion of disappointment for many families into a moment of joy and celebration.

Early Life and Struggles

Dr Rakh was born into a humble family in Pune. His father worked as a coolie at a railway station, a job which involved hard labour. Talking about his childhood days, Rakh told The Free Press Journal that he was carefree, uninterested in studies, and more inclined towards eating heartily and wrestling (kushti) than academics. His mother constantly pushed him to focus on education, but the real turning point came in Std 7th when his father once took him along to the railway station, where young Ganesh had to lift heavy loads. The experience shook him. "That day I realised I did not want to live the same life my father had to endure," he recalls. From then on, he dedicated himself to his studies.

Education was not easy. His entire schooling and medical education were possible only because of government scholarships. He studied in government institutions.

Started hospital in 2007

In 2007, Dr Rakh started his own hospital in Pune's Hadapsar area. But it was not a smooth journey; he struggled financially as he had loans mounted over him. When he announced his decision in 2012 to provide free treatment if a girl child was born, his family and hospital staff were shocked. "Everyone was against me," he remembers. "They said we already had huge loans, and this would make things worse. But I knew this was my way of serving society through a noble profession like medicine."

What motivated him to provide free delivery if a girl child was born?

During his early years of practice, Dr Rakh observed that families often appeared disheartened when told a baby girl was born. "It was always a tough job to inform a family that a patient had died," he said. "But back then, it was even tougher to tell them that a baby girl had been born. The families would look so disappointed, and some would cry and curse."

This painful reality inspired him to take action. In 2012, he launched his initiative: waiving all hospital charges for deliveries of girl children. Not just free treatment, his hospital and team began celebrating each birth with cakes, sweets and joyful ceremonies, encouraging families to treat the arrival of a daughter as a blessing, not a burden.

Over the years, the initiative has gradually changed mindsets. “Today, at least in Pune, people are more accepting when a girl child is born. The situation is better, and it makes me happy to see this change,” Dr. Rakh says.

Amitabh Bachchan praised him on Kaun Banega Crorepati

In 2016, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan praised him on Kaun Banega Crorepati, which gave his work nationwide visibility. Since then, he has been invited by NGOs, organisations, and institutions across the country to spread awareness about gender equality.

Dr Rakh has also led seminars and awareness drives to fight gender bias and has inspired many in the medical fraternity to support similar causes. Recently, he has received widespread appreciation not only from Pune but also from different parts of India and even abroad following a tweet posted by industrialist such as Anand Mahindra.

Dr Rakh’s story not only inspires society but also reflects the change he has brought about through his noble profession.