‘Is it ‘Arolyancha dawakhana’ (Arole’s hospital)?’, It was my question on phone when I was 12 year old. The person asked my name and said you should ask like ‘Is it Dr Arole’s Hospital, instead of Arolyancha dawakhana?.’ I immediately apologized and asked to whom I am speaking with? He said I am Dr Rajnikant Arole!! It was my first interaction with him on Phone; at my home town Jamkhed, when mobiles were not in existence.
We both are from same place where Dr Arole built his empire. Since my childhood not only me but all Jamkhedkars know him as an international personality. Man with tremendous dedication, determination who brought Jamkhed on World’s map! In a rural place like Jamkhed you will find some foreigners roaming around who used to visit Dr Arole’s Comprehensive Health Rural Project (CRHP). His rural health’s ‘Jamkhed Pattern’ is known worldwide. Social activist Dr Arole was the founder president of Maharashtra Social Forum, a popular NGO network in Maharashtra. His mission was to provide basic healthcare to the rural poor.
Health standards across 300 villages in and around the region have improved.
After completing his MBBS from Vellore, Tamilnadu; CRHP was founded in 1970 by physicians Mabelle and Rajnikant Arole, who envisioned a system that delivered both curative and preventative care to India’s most vulnerable people. Both of whom had graduated together from medical college in 1959, worked for three years in villages and then moved to learn higher skills in US, working at Cleveland Clinic and JohHopkins- two of the most renowned programmes before returning to India in 1970, the Rajnikant Arole and Mabel Arole were invited by the leaders of Jamkhed to provide health care in their community. What started out as a modest service programme grew into the Comprehensive Rural Health Project (CRHP), reaching the poor, the marginalized and especially the previously unreached: women and children.
Jamkhed tells the story of the development of the Comprehensive Rural Health Project, a sustainable community - based primary health care programme in one of the poorest parts of India. Around Jamkhed, scores of men and women have come forward to acquire knowledge and skills in health and development. This empowerment has resulted in a drastic reduction in infant mortality and has improved the quality of village life.
Based in the town of Jamkhed, CRHP also serves surrounding areas in the central part of Maharashtra state. The area is predominantly rural, poor and drought-prone. Public health care and education are notoriously poor. CRHP has gradually expanded from a single hospital in Jamkhed and currently covers approximately 300 communities with a total population of over 500000 people. Both doctors, Rajanikant and Mabelle Arole chose Jamkhed, a poor agricultural village as the site for their innovative plan to provide medical and health services to villagers in India. A remote village where only a handful cared for the health of over ten thousand people. The site, a seven-acre land donated by Kothari family (Mishrilal, Suvalal, Bansilal, Chandulal and Popatlal) had a cowshed and a rented hall with no electricity and running water. Through dedication, determination and with the training they had received in India and US, they used these meager resources to start life-changing community projects for the people of the village. Donations from several organizations and foreign agencies helped the couple built a hospital, installed almost a hundred tube wells, organized community kitchens, planted thousands of trees, constructed hundreds of check dams, and cultivated 780 acres of land. The tremendous success of their efforts to combine community development with a comprehensive approach to rural health care using the ‘Jamkhed model’ has been recognized by numerous international organizations. In the last 39 years, the project has grown. Today, village health workers handle deliveries and counsel leprosy and TB patients. Between 1976 and 2006, the project has built over 200 check dams for water harvesting and dug over 500 wells.
Dr Arole was the proud recipient of Mother Teresa Award (2005), Padmabhushan (1990) and Ramon Magsaysay (1979); the award known as Noble of Asia region for his remarkable contribution in the field of health sector.
In memory of Mabelle Arole who died in 1999, a Fellowship named after her was founded in 2001. The Fellowship is given annually to a recent college graduate to study community-based primary health care, and to live and learn in Jamkhed for a year to imbibe Mabelle’s wisdom and healing spirit.
Recently, I was discussing with Dr Arole, his son Ravi and daughter Dr. Shobha regarding health problems of rural areas at Jamkhed. I found all of them are very serious and working day and night to improve the health of rural patients. In 2009; Pravara Medical Trust’ VC Dr Ashok Vikhe-Patil asked me to help for media coverage of Dr Arole’s 75th birthday felicitation function held in Pune. I immediately responded that, Dr Arole is pride of Jamkhed and it will be my pleasure to help you. After the function, I have sent all the news clippings to Dr Arole at Jamkhed. Dr Arole appreciated and acknowledged my efforts personally. His birthday was celebrated at Nagar too when Dr Arole was not well. Still he attended it as he has committed, I am one of the witnesses.
While speaking to MP Shri Balasaheb Vikhe-Patil this morning Vikhe-Patil said ‘” I was closely associated with Dr Arole from 1971; when I was Nagar ZP Vice President. Dr Arole was always a smiling and pleasant personality. He felt sad to see poor people. Many times he took his meal with his workers & poor patients. Day before yesterday, I met him to enquire on his health. Dr Arole said, I am happy and praying to God. No sign of fear on his face though he was not well. We will definitely miss him while working for rural health development.”
Dr Arole was born on 18th Sep 1934 at Rahuri in Nagar district; survives with his son Ravindra and daughter Dr Shobha. The veteran social worker took his last breath at 10.10 pm yesterday at Poona Hospital, Pune.
May his departed soul rest in peace, I pray on behalf of all Jamkhedkars.
