Far from the Madding Crowd

Ramani Atkuri completed her medical studies at the Christian Medical College in Vellore, with a specialization in Community Medicine. Since 1991, she has focused on primary healthcare in central India in the rural and tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh, managing patients as well as training field level workers of various cadres in primary health care. She worked with Unicef for a decade before returning to grass-roots work with non-profit organizations. She is passionate about demystifying medicine and is deeply concerned about issues of equity and justice in access to health care for every Indian.

Bobby Joseph completed his MBBS at St. John’s Medical College and then worked for two years in Wayanad, Kerala at a mission hospital close to tribal areas in this hill district. He returned to his alma mater to pursue a career in Community Health. He has been on the faculty of the Institution since 1992. While his focus has been on the health of the working populations in the plantation, apparel and health care sectors, he continues to engage with primary and secondary health care centres. He was, until recently, the Vice Dean for Community Outreach – coordinating the Social Obligation Service of the St. John’s graduates in over 300 mission hospitals all over India.

Pooja Prasanna is the Editorial Head for reporting at The News Minute, with special focus on politics and social justice. For sixteen years, she has covered major news events across south India with experience in broadcast, digital and print media. She hosts the weekly explainer show Let Me Explain and is the co-host of TNM’s flagship podcast South Central.