Doctor Ejaz Ali

The Messiah of the Poor: The Inspiring Journey of Dr. Ejaz Ali

In the bustling streets of Patna, Bihar, there’s a modest clinic where hope arrives for just ₹10. Every morning, a long queue forms outside Ejaz Clinic, filled with farmers, laborers, and families from across the state. At the center of it all sits Dr. Ejaz Ali, a general surgeon with a gentle smile and a stethoscope around his neck, greeting each patient like an old friend.

“Arre bhai, baitho na,” he says warmly to an elderly man clutching his stomach in pain. “Kya takleef hai aaj? Sab theek ho jayega—bas dawai lete rehna.” (Come, sit down. What’s the trouble today? Everything will be fine—just keep taking the medicine.)

Born in 1958 into a lower-middle-class family in Bihar, Ejaz was the sixth of ten siblings. His father, Sheikh Mumtaz Ali, had served as a block divisional officer during the British Raj era, but with so many mouths to feed, life was a constant struggle. Young Ejaz often studied under streetlights, determined to rise above the hardships.

“Baba used to say, ‘Beta, padhai se hi zindagi badlegi,'” Dr. Ejaz recalls in interviews, his eyes lighting up. (Father used to say, ‘Son, only education will change your life.’) Despite the odds, he excelled, earning a spot at the prestigious Patna Medical College. He qualified as a doctor and specialized in surgery, but unlike many of his peers chasing big-city glamour, Ejaz chose a different path.

In 1984, he opened his clinic in Patna’s Bikhna Pahari area. From day one, he set his consultation fee at ₹10—a token amount that hasn’t changed in over 40 years, even as inflation soared and other doctors charged hundreds or thousands.

“Why raise it?” he once shrugged in a conversation with a journalist. “These people are my family. If I charge more, how will the daily wage earner come? Medicine is service, not business.”

Patients adore him for it. A young mother, holding her child’s hand after a low-cost surgery, tearfully says, “Doctor sahab ne jaan bacha li, aur paise maaf kar diye. Woh bhagwan ka roop hain.” (Doctor sahab saved my child’s life and even waived the fees. He is like God.)

But Dr. Ejaz’s heart beats for more than just medicine. Witnessing the struggles of marginalized Muslim communities during village visits, he founded the All-India Backward Muslim Morcha in 1994. As its national convenor, he fights for the rights of Pasmanda (backward) Muslims, advocating for their inclusion in Scheduled Caste benefits and protection under laws like the Prevention of Atrocities Act.

“Samvidhan mein sab barabar hain, lekin asal zindagi mein nahi,” he passionately argues in rallies. (The Constitution says everyone is equal, but in real life, they’re not.) His activism led him to politics: from 2008 to 2010, he served as a Rajya Sabha member from Bihar, representing Janata Dal (United).

He even dabbled in journalism, editing the Urdu daily Sangam from 1998 to 2012, using his pen to spotlight the voiceless.

Married to the daughter of prominent politician Ghulam Sarwar, whose support helped establish the clinic, Dr. Ejaz passed the baton to his son, Dr. Shahzad Ali, who continues the legacy of affordable care—surgeries like appendectomies for ₹17,000 or gallbladder removals for ₹11,000, often discounted further for the needy.

In a world of corporate hospitals, Dr. Ejaz Ali remains a quiet revolutionary. “Service to humanity is service to God,” he often says. And every day, as he sees over 100 patients on a simple plastic chair in his courtyard, he proves it—one ₹10 consultation at a time.

In today’s era where most doctors charge their consultation fees from 500 to 1000 rupees, Patna’s doctor Ejaz Ali has been treating hundreds of patients every day for the last 40 years in just 10 rupees.

Not only are their consultation fees very low, but their hospital operations are also very low.

Dr despite being a well-known general surgeon. Ali, wearing simple kurta-pajamas and hat, sitting on a plastic chair in his hospital courtyard and watching patients everyday.

Dr. residing in Bikna hill area of Patna. Ali started his practice in 1984. People from different corners of Bihar come to them for treatment. They see about 100 patients every day and perform several operations. They try to get the patient seen the same day so he doesn’t have to repeatedly and spend.

When she was asked why she kept her fees so low, she said, “I have seen poverty myself in my life and my mother always wanted me to selflessly serve the poor. “
Dr. Ali’s message to other doctors to take care of the patient’s economic condition before treatment. Don’t put the burden of expensive tests and medicines on patients without necessity.

In addition to the cure, Dr. Ali is also connected to social service. They are constantly working for the rights of the poor and deprived people of society, especially the Dalit and Muslim community.