Ganesh Baraiya, 3-feet-tall doctor, secures first medical officer appointment after legal battle
Ahmedabad: Dr. Ganesh Baraiya, who stands three feet tall and weighs 20 kilograms, is just 25 years old and has scripted an extraordinary milestone after a long legal struggle that reached the Supreme Court, securing his first appointment as a medical officer.
He will report for duty on Thursday, in his first assignment as a medical officer, bringing to a close an inspiring and hard-fought journey. Born with dwarfism and assessed with a 72 per cent locomotor disability, Baraiya’s entry into active government service marks a significant personal triumph over physical limitations and systemic barriers. Baraiya aspires to specialize in paediatrics, dermatology, or radiology, reports The Times of India.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that when Ganesh Baraiya wanted to take admission to medical college, the erstwhile Medical Council of India (MCI), now National Medical Commission (NMC), did not believe that he was capable of becoming a doctor, because he is all of three feet tall. But he did not let the MCI rejection trip him up, and today he is `Dr' Baraiya, an MBBS intern. When he applied for the medical course in 2018, the MCI committee denied permission, citing his physical condition. The matter went from the Gujarat High Court to the Supreme Court, which passed a judgement in Baraiya's favour in 2018, allowing him to take admission to the Government Medical College (GMC), Bhavnagar.
Talking about his priority, the doctor revealed that his dream is to build a proper house for his family in Gorkhi village of Bhavnagar district. His parents are farmers, and Baraiya is one of eight siblings - seven sisters and a younger brother. “My family still lives in a kaccha house. My biggest dream is to build a brick house with all the facilities for them. Construction has halted several times since we often ran out of money. With my salary now, I can finally finish it,” he told Times of India.
During anatomy dissection classes, friends and professors ensured to save the front-row seats for him. In surgery rotations, his classmates even carried him on their shoulders for him to have a clear view of the operating tables. “My friends and professors helped me at every step. They made sure my height never stopped me from learning,” Baraiya says.
Baraiya speaks with quiet confidence about his struggle in completing the degree and how he overcame it. He is used to patients’ surprised reactions when they first meet him. “Initially, they are taken aback by my appearance. But once they hear what I have been through to become a doctor, they trust me completely.”
