Welcome to Herstory, where we remember all those women who have achieved many feats and smashed many barriers to bring about positive change in the world.
The story of Subhashini Mistry is a unique saga of fortitude, determination, and incredible empathy. Having lost her husband to an easily curable disease for the lack of medical facilities due to financial constraints, she promised to herself that no poor person will ever have to undergo pain or die because of the lack of proper health care. Subhashini worked as a maid, manual laborer, and vegetable seller for over two decades to earn money for her hospital.
Who Is Subhashini Mistry?
Subhashini Mistry is an Indian social worker and Padma Shri recipient from the state of West Bengal. She was born in abject poverty and got married when she was very young. However, she was left a widow at the age of 23 years, taking care of four children. Even without any educational background or money, she has been working tirelessly to establish a health center for the underprivileged people.
What Happened To Subhashini Mistry's Husband?
In the year 1971, Subhashini's husband Sadhan, who was a vegetable vendor and a farmer, contracted a common disease that could have easily been cured (gastroenteritis/diarrhea). Due to their lack of financial resources and poverty, he succumbed to the disease that could have easily been treated. This incident brought home to Subhashini that his death was caused not by the disease itself but poverty and negligence.
How Did Subhashini Mistry Start Her Journey To Build A Hospital?
She labored hard in Kolkata for more than 20 years through domestic chores, manual labor, and the selling of vegetables in order to save money. In that process, she ensured that her younger son, Ajoy Mistry, enrolled and pursued his career as a doctor from Calcutta Medical College.
She purchased one acre of land in the village of her late husband with her savings of ₹10,000 in the year 1992. She constructed a shed clinic with her savings in 1993, which was later turned into a permanent hospital building through donations from the local villagers.
What Is A Humanity Hospital And Where Is It Located?
Humanity Hospital is a charitable organization established by Subhashini Mistry through the Humanity Trust. The primary center of the hospital is situated in Hanspukur village in the vicinity of Kolkata city in the South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal state. Gradually, the trust was successful in establishing healthcare centers even in remote locations such as Sundarbans.
How Does Subhashini Mistry's Hospital Help People?
The Humanity Hospital functions on the ideology that medical services are a fundamental human right rather than a luxury for the rich.
Free and Cheap Medical Services: Thousands of poor patients avail themselves of free consultations, medicines, and cheap surgical procedures.
Excellent Medical Services: Run by her son, Dr. Ajoy Mistry, and also by visiting voluntary doctors, it provides treatment services from simple consultations to complex surgeries.
Rural Area Service: It caters to rural and poor people who otherwise do not have any access to secondary or tertiary healthcare centers.
Conclusion
Subhashini Mistry turned her personal misfortune into a life-long crusade for humanity. From being a vegetable vendor on the streets to building the Humanity Hospital, she serves as an example of how far human determination and kindness can go.
Image credits: Instagram
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