Dr. Pukhraj Bafna, Padma Shri
Paediatrician, Adolescent Health Specialist & Champion of Tribal Child Health
A young parent from a remote tribal area once asked him, “Doctor, will my child ever get the same care as children in the city?”
Dr. Pukhraj Bafna replied warmly, “Every child deserves healthy growth, whether in a village or a city. We must take knowledge and care to them, study their needs carefully, and work with simple, practical solutions. That is how real change begins.”
That commitment has guided his five decades of work among tribal and rural communities.
Pukhraj Bafna was born on 14 November 1946 in Rajnandgaon (then in Madhya Pradesh, now Chhattisgarh). He completed his MBBS in 1969 from Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College, Jabalpur, followed by DCH (1972) and MD in Paediatrics (1973) from the same institution. He later earned a PhD from Jain Vishva Bharati University, Ladnun (Rajasthan), for pioneering research on the efficacy of yoga and Preksha meditation in childhood and adolescent asthma.
Based in Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh, Dr. Bafna has devoted his career to paediatric and adolescent health with a special focus on tribal children. He has conducted extensive field work across tribal regions of India, organised more than 500 child health camps, and supported orphaned children in areas affected by conflict, including Bastar. He is widely recognised for documenting the status of tribal child health and offering practical solutions.
He is the author of the book Status of Tribal Child Health in India, which has received international recognition. Since 1973 he has written a continuous weekly health column in the Hindi newspaper Sabera Sanket—one of the longest-running such columns by a doctor in India. He has contributed chapters to standard textbooks including the IAP Textbook of Paediatrics and works on adolescent health, and has presented over 150 papers at state, national and international conferences.
Dr. Bafna is a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics and the International College of Pediatrics. He has served as a national faculty trainer, health educator and organiser, and continues to be associated with academic and ethics committees, including roles at Chhattisgarh Dental College and Research Institute, Rajnandgaon, and Government Medical College, Rajnandgaon.
The Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri in 2011 for his contributions to medicine, particularly tribal child and adolescent health. Other honours include the IMA National C. T. Thakkar Award (1978), Becon International Award (1986), IAP Academic Excellence Award (2004), Mahaveer Mahatma Award (Times of India, 2004), Dr. B. C. Roy National Award (2017), and several lifetime achievement recognitions.
Even after decades of clinical practice, research and community service, Dr. Bafna remains focused on preventive care and education.
“Health awareness must reach every home,” he often says. “When we understand the special needs of tribal and rural children and act with knowledge and compassion, we build a healthier future for the entire community.”
From a small-town practice in Rajnandgaon to national recognition for tribal child health work, continuous public health writing, and pioneering research on yoga in paediatric asthma, Dr. Pukhraj Bafna has combined clinical care, research and grassroots service for the children of Chhattisgarh and beyond.
deemagclinic
deemag and chest clinic 