Purulia (West Bengal): 27 Nov - 30 Nov 2025
Bhachau (Gujarat): 04 Dec - 07 Dec 2025
Gadalur (Tamil Nadu) Feasibility Visit : 10 Dec - 11 Dec 2025
Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) Feasibility Visit : 12 Dec - 14 Dec 2025
Jalgaon (Maharashtra) : 11 Dec - 14 Dec 2025
Silchar (Assam) : 18 Dec - 21 Dec 2025
Kankavli (Maharashtra) : 19 Dec - 21 Dec 2025
Honouring Dr. Y. G. Bhojraj –
The Oration that Bridges Generations in Medicine
Dr. Yashwant Govind Bhojraj, whose life and work continue to inspire generations of medical professionals. Hosted by the Society of Anaesthesiologists, Mumbai, the event honoured his enduring influence on medical ethics, education, and innovation. The oration was delivered by his son, Dr. Shekhar Bhojraj, India’s leading spine surgeon and founder of The Spine Foundation, who carries forward his father’s values of compassion and service into the field of spine surgery.
Born into a family rooted in Gandhian ideals, Dr. Y. G. Bhojraj inherited a deep sense of humility and purpose. His father, Dr. Govind Ganesh Bhojraj, was both a physician and freedom fighter who gave up a thriving medical practice for India’s independence movement. Shaped by these values, Dr. Y. G. Bhojraj went on to become one of the nation’s first formally trained anaesthetists. In the late 1940s, he travelled to the United Kingdom, where he became the first Indian to earn the FFARCS (Fellow of the Faculty of Anaesthetists, Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh) — standing first in the examination. Despite offers to stay in the UK, he returned to India, driven by duty and patriotism.
“The growth and advances in spine surgery have been possible largely due to advances in anaesthesia and monitoring. Without them, spine surgery would have remained primitive.” — Dr. Shekhar Bhojraj
Carrying forward this philosophy, Dr. Shekhar Bhojraj founded The Spine Foundation in 1998 with a mission to bring quality spine care to India’s rural and underserved regions. His oration, “Journey Beyond Spine Surgery – 27 Years of The Spine Foundation,” highlighted how the initiative has grown from a small unit at KEM Hospital into a nationwide network of 33 centres and 40 trained fellows dedicated to affordable, ethical spine care.
He spoke passionately about healthcare inequality in India, where many families face “catastrophic health expenditure” for even basic medical needs. The Spine Foundation’s approach focuses on accessibility, sustainability, and empathy — conducting free surgeries, rural spine camps, and telemedicine consultations across districts like Gadchiroli, Nandurbar, and Uttarakhand. Even during the pandemic, weekly online OPDs continued uninterrupted.
“The service of the have-nots has been our motto. Self-reliance, self-respect, and simplicity are the key.” — Dr. Shekhar Bhojraj
