Dr Arun Gadre

Dr Arun Gadre is a gynaecologist. He practised in a drought-prone area of rural Maharashtra for twenty years. With the support of his anaesthetist wife, Dr Jyoti Gadre, he ran a small hospital on a private basis, witnessing first-hand the degeneration of the once noble medical profession. Unable to stem the rot and fatigued by practising in a resource-poor set-up with rising patient expectations, he left private practice to work as a coordinator of a Pune-based NGO, SATHI, which specializes in policy advocacy related to healthcare in India. Dr Gadre is the author of seventeen books in Marathi, including six novels, and is a recipient of several literary awards.

Dr Abhay Shukla is a public health physician, with a postgraduate degree in community medicine from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. He has worked on health issues in collaboration with people’s movements and grassroots NGOs in Maharashtra for two decades. He is Senior Programme Coordinator with SATHI, Pune, and is a member of advisory bodies for the National Rural Health Mission and the National Human Rights Commission. He is a national convener of Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (People’s Health Movement-India) and has facilitated public hearings on right to healthcare across the country. Dr Shukla has authored and edited several books on health system issues. He has contributed to developing the framework of community-based monitoring and planning of health services at the national level and in Maharashtra. He is involved in action and research for the promotion of patient’s rights, the social regulation of the private medical sector and universal healthcare.

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