In today’s India, healthcare is increasingly dominated by sprawling hospital chains, steep consultation fees, and the painful reality that medical treatment often drains a family’s lifetime savings. In a time when healing has been commodified, and patients are seen as customers rather than humans in distress, two doctors from Odisha have chosen to walk a radically different path — a path lit not by profit, but by compassion.
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Meet Dr. Shankar Ramchandani, founder of the One Rupee Clinic in Burla, Sambalpur, and his wife, Dr. Shikha Ramchandani, founder of the One Rupee Dental Clinic. Together, they represent what true medical service should look like: accessible, affordable, and rooted in empathy.
A Clinic for the Masses, Not the Classes
Dr. Ramchandani, a medicine specialist and faculty member at VIMSAR, Burla, set up the One Rupee Clinic in February 2021 with a simple but revolutionary idea — consultation for just Re 1. Over the past three years, this clinic has touched the lives of more than 80,000 patients from Odisha and neighboring states.
At this modest clinic, patients not only receive medical consultations but also ECG, nebulization, oxygen support, and even walking sticks — all for one rupee. To ensure dignity, the token fee was fixed so patients feel they are contributing, not receiving charity.
His wife, Dr. Shikha, took the vision further by launching a One Rupee Dental Clinic, offering services like fillings, extractions, and cleanings that otherwise cost thousands in private setups.
When Others See Profits, They See People
Contrast this with the grim reality in much of India’s healthcare sector:
- Private hospitals pushing unnecessary tests and surgeries.
- Corporate hospitals charging lakhs even for basic treatments.
- Doctors, burdened with commercial targets, treating patients like revenue streams.
In such a landscape, the Ramchandanis shine like rare diamonds — doctors who remind us that medicine is a calling, not a business.
Dr. Ramchandani even uses his own car to ferry patients, arranges stay for poor families who travel long distances, and has adopted leprosy colonies to provide ongoing medical and educational support. This is not service for applause — it is service for humanity.
A Movement in Making
Their clinics have become sanctuaries of hope, especially for the poor who are often neglected by mainstream healthcare. Every rupee collected is not profit, but a symbol of dignity. Every patient healed is a reminder of why the medical profession exists.
This is not just healthcare. This is nation-building at the grassroots.
Why They Deserve the Padma Award
The Padma Awards are meant to honor Indians whose contributions have made an extraordinary impact on society. While celebrities and public figures often dominate the headlines, real heroes like Dr. Shankar and Dr. Shikha represent the very spirit the awards were meant to recognize.
- They have redefined accessible healthcare in one of India’s poorest regions.
- They have treated tens of thousands without chasing profits.
- They have turned personal hardship into a mission of compassion.
- They have restored faith in the nobility of the medical profession.
At a time when people equate hospitals with exploitation, these doctors have become the face of trust.
An Appeal to the Governments
We, the people of Odisha and India, appeal:
- To the Government of Odisha: Nominate Dr. Shankar Ramchandani and Dr. Shikha Ramchandani for the nation’s highest civilian honor. They are our pride, and they embody the state’s values of service and humility.
- To the Government of India: Let the Padma Awards reach where they truly belong — to those who heal not for wealth, but for humanity. Honoring the Ramchandanis with a Padma Award will send a resounding message: that India recognizes, respects, and rewards selflessness above all else.
Healthcare should be about compassion and not commercialization, his service is a slap to bigger chains of hospitals whose only motive is to do profit, for the bigger hospital chains, they treat the human body as a package, open heart surgery package, 3 blockage package, 4 blockage package, ovary removal package.
When future generations look back at this era of commercialized healthcare, they must also find the story of a small clinic in Sambalpur where one rupee could buy dignity, hope, and life itself.
The Padma Awards should not just adorn the famous — they should uplift the forgotten heroes who carry the nation’s soul. In Dr. Shankar and Dr. Shikha Ramchandani, India has such heroes. Let us not miss the chance to honor them.
Here’s a detailed profile of Dr. Shankar Ramchandani (@Dr_SRamchandani)—the compassionate physician behind the transformative One Rupee Clinic in Burla, Sambalpur, Odisha, and recipient of the prestigious OTV Citizens Award 2023 for his remarkable social service.
Early Life & Inspiration
Dr. Shankar Ramchandani’s childhood and early experiences shaped his compassionate mission:
- Hailing from a large family of 32 members, his father ran a small stationery shop and faced immense financial burden. The loss of his grandfather and uncle to cancer, compounded by the inability to afford their treatment, left a deep impact on young Shankar.
- Despite financial hardships—having to rely on hand-me-down textbooks—he emerged resilient, securing the second rank in Odisha’s medical entrance examinations.
The One Rupee Clinic: A Vision for Accessible Healthcare
Foundation & Philosophy
- In February 2021, shortly after his promotion to Assistant Professor at VIMSAR, Burla, Dr. Ramchandani established the One Rupee Clinic in a rented room near the Kachha Market area.
- Charging just Re 1 for consultations ensures that patients feel dignified and involved rather than receiving completely free treatment. “They should feel that they have paid something for the treatment.”
Growth & Outreach
- Initially treating 7,000 patients within a year, the clinic’s reach steadily grew. By 2022–2023, it had served 50,000–60,000 patients, and more recently, over 70,000–80,000 individuals from Odisha and neighbouring states like Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.
- Patients receive not just consultations but also essential services—medicines, ECGs, nebulization, and even oxygen concentration and walking sticks, all for Re 1.
Going Beyond the Clinic
- Dr. Ramchandani extends his support by dedicating his personal car to ferry patients, especially those from a leprosy colony he has adopted. He also arranges night accommodations for patients traveling long distances.
- Additionally, he conducts leprosy awareness campaigns and provides comprehensive health and education support for families in leprosy-affected colonies.
Expanding Healthcare Access Through Family Collaboration
- Inspired by Dr. Shankar, his wife, Dr. Shikha Ramchandani, set up a parallel initiative—a Re 1 Dental Clinic near VIMSAR. Offering fillings, extractions, cleaning, and other services, the clinic operates from personal savings and underscores the couple’s shared ethos.
Recognition & Laurels
- Dr. Shankar Ramchandani’s contributions have not gone unnoticed. He was honoured with the OTV Citizens Award 2023 in recognition of his selfless social service.
- Local social workers have praised him as “a social worker rather than just a doctor,” lauding his readiness to invest from his personal finances for the welfare of the needy.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Background | Overcame financial hardship, sparked by personal family losses and poverty |
| Clinic Start | February 2021, Burla (Re 1 consultation model) |
| Services | Consultation, medicines, ECG, nebulizer, walking sticks, oxygen, all at Re 1 |
| Impact | 80,000+ patients benefited; outreach spanning multiple states |
| Additional Support | Patient transport, night stays, rural outreach, leprosy campaign |
| Family Involvement | Dr. Shikha’s Re 1 dental clinic |
| Award | OTV Citizens Award 2023 for social service |
Dr. Ramchandani’s story is a testament to how one individual’s compassion can break systemic barriers to healthcare and inspire a community. His One Rupee Clinic is more than a medical facility—it is a beacon of empathy, dignity, and grassroots transformation.
