Fighting All Odds: Meet Ganesh Baraiya, The World’s Shortest Doctor (image- facebook/Baraiya Ganesh)
After a long grueling battle, 23-year-old Dr Ganesh Baraiya is now walking through the corridors of Bhavnagar Medical College as an intern after completing his MBBS degree. The three-foot-tall had to fight all odds and challenges to finally achieve his dream.
His journey to a medical degree was filled with hurdles including denial of admission to medical school citing his dwarfism. But the determined young chap was not ready to give up so easily when the Medical Council of India disqualified him from pursuing MBBS degree some years back. Determined to fight back, with the help of his principal Dr. Dalpath Bhai Katariya, they approached the District collector, the state Education minister, and then at last knocked on the doors of the Gujarat High Court.
Hailing from Gorkhi, a small village in Bhavnagar district, his dream to be a doctor was nurtured by his mother, Devuben. His father is a farmer and he has eight siblings, seven sisters who never studied beyond class 10 and are married now, reports TOI.
Being 3 feet tall and weighing just 18 kg, Baraiya could barely reach the height of the hospital bed and had to stretch to examine his patients. This was cited as the reason for denying admission by the Gujarat government along with two others. But Baraiya fought back as he was armed with a stellar academic record and unwavering resolve.
With the help of his principal, Katariya, who funded the legal case, they made it to the Supreme Court. And the apex court ruled in favor of the students. In 2018, the court citing the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 ordered the government to grant admission.
After a long battle, the three-feet-tall young chap has completed his MBBS degree. He now aims to specialize in dermatology. “I plan to opt for dermatology due to a less demanding workload,” he said.
On his everyday challenges owing to his height, Dr Baraiya said that though the patients initially judged him for his height later got comfortable over time and accepted him. As an intern doctor, Baraiya continues to inspire others with his unwavering commitment to medicine.
