Subhashini Mistry - 5

Subhashini Mistry: A Vegetable Vendor Who Built A Hospital For The Poor!

When we visit a hospital, what do we notice at our first glance? Chairs stocked to the surrounding walls and above hangs several postures for various diseases, pregnancy, some inspirational quotes, with visions of help, care, trust, bond etc. but have you ever come through these visions in a hospital?

  • To provide free treatment to the needy patients.
  • Offer medical service with heart and compassion and with the true spirit of service to humanity.
  • Expand our presence to remote places to meet the crying need of adequate medical service.
  • And never let anyone die just because he/she could not afford the cost of the treatment.

Except for the second vision, other three are exceptionally found, and this is one of the exceptional thing in Humanity Hospital, at Hanspukur, West Bengal.

Born to a poor farmer, Subhashini Mistry was raised in poverty, she was then married off to a labourer when she was merely 12 year old. As if the fight with poverty was less, her husband fell ill in 1971. Limited access to hospitals due to poverty, he lost his life leaving behind three children and 23 year old wife.

Image Source: www.vegmomos.com

To fulfil the basic needs, for 20 years she worked as a vegetable vendor, maid, worked in ponds and paddy fields, tea stalls, collected coal from dumps and at times she even had to sell her footwear to meet her dream, a dream to build a hospital that she saw the day her husband died without the treatment. She had complete faith on herself and had promised to make her son a Doctor, even if she had to beg on the streets to collect money for her dream.

As there was limited money for her three children, she sent them to orphanage, while out on streets and fields, she worked harder and harder to save every single penny she could. She managed to save little money and with little help she made her son, a Doctor. With the combined help they build a small hospital in a shed where her son attended patients at a very minimal cost. On the very first day, they attended 252 patients, this left them encouraged to work more.

Subhashini Mistry - 2

Image Source: fridaymagazine.ae

After saving bit by bit and through little external help, Subhashini Mistry and her son Vijoy Mistry laid the stone of their Hospital in 1995, which stands tall as a 2 storied hospital and they named it as the Humanity Hospital. Today, the hospital has the best team of doctors and is well equipped with technology.

The biggest part which moved me is the major surgeries for poor would only cost them less than 5000 and minor check-ups at as low as 10 Rupees.

Everyone dreams, have their fantasies but working on it single handed leads to the destination. Had she given up and laid broken to her husband’s death, Subhashini Mistry wouldn’t have built a hospital for humanity! We bow to such courage and valour.

Image Source: silverawards.harmonyindia.org

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