Pune Doctor’s Mission to Save the Girl Child Wins Nationwide Praise

Pune: Dr. Ganesh Rakh, a Pune-based doctor known for his extraordinary mission to protect the girl child, is winning widespread praise across social media. His story, recently shared online by IAS officer D. Prasanth Nair, has struck an emotional chord, with business leaders, public figures and ordinary citizens hailing him as an inspiration.

In Nair's account, a daily wage labourer admitted his wife to Dr. Rakh's hospital for delivery, worried that a cesarean section would force him to mortgage his home. When the baby was born, he nervously asked about the gender. "You have been blessed with an angel," Dr. Rakh told him. When the father hesitated to ask about hospital charges, the doctor's reply moved him to tears: "When angels are born, I don't charge any fee." Overwhelmed, the man fell at the doctor's feet, calling him God.

For over a decade, Dr. Rakh has been waiving fees whenever a baby girl is born at his hospital. Since opening his hospital in 2007, he has delivered more than a thousand girls free of cost under his Save the Girl Child initiative. Speaking about his vision in an earlier interview with the BBC, he said, "The day people start celebrating a daughter's birth, I'll start charging my fee again. Otherwise, how will I run my hospital?"

The story has now gone viral, drawing admiration from all quarters. Industrialist Anand Mahindra called Dr. Rakh "an angel of Grace and Generosity" and declared him his source of Monday Motivation. Citizens on social media have echoed similar sentiments, thanking him for keeping humanity alive. "Angels come in all forms," wrote one user. Another added, "Respect for people like him who have changed mindsets through action."

Dr. Rakh's mission has transcended borders, with global audiences praising his work as a powerful message against gender bias. What began as a personal decision to waive fees has grown into a movement that challenges social attitudes and inspires families to celebrate the birth of daughters. For many, he has become not just a doctor, but a symbol of compassion, courage and change.