What makes doctors begin their careers in rural India—and keep going for three decades? Dr. John and Mercy John reveal why they stayed—and how their work transformed healthcare in Bissam Cuttack, Odisha.

In this episode of The Health Worker, host Ram G. Vallath from the Azim Premji Foundation brings you the story of Dr. John “Johnny” Oommen (MD, CMC Vellore) and Mercy John, who chose to serve the tribal communities of Bissam Cuttack, Odisha, instead of pursuing lucrative careers in India or abroad.

For three decades, they've tackled challenges most doctors in India never face—infant mortality rates of 200 per 1,000, under-five mortality touching 350 per 1,000, high birth rates & high death rates, zero healthcare infrastructure, and communities where seeing a doctor meant traveling hours.

What you'll discover:

- Why these doctors chose rural Odisha over high-paying urban positions

- How they built a healthcare system from scratch in Bissam Cuttack

- The real impact of 30 years of commitment to rural medicine

- What keeps healthcare workers motivated in India's most challenging regions

- How they built a nursing workforce when faculty was impossible to find

- How community-led malaria control saved children’s lives

About the Health Worker Series: Exploring the lives and choices of healthcare professionals serving India's rural communities, where dedication meets extraordinary challenges.

For more inspiring and informative content on India Public Health, visit us at https://thehealthworker.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/

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A doctor. A child’s death. A question that changed everything.

At Gandhigram Hospital near Madurai, Dr. Regi George and Dr. Lalitha Regi began to wonder if medicine alone could change lives. That question took them to the Sittilingi Valley in Tamil Nadu, where they started the Tribal Health Initiative — a small mud-hut clinic that grew into a community movement.

Today, the valley has zero maternal deaths, thriving organic farms, women’s enterprises, and a panchayat that works for its people.

This isn’t just a story of doctors.

It’s the story of how a community learned to heal itself.