I am Dr. Christy Vijay, and I currently work at James Cook University Hospital, South Tees, in Obstetrics and Gynaecology as a Registrar. I am a young gynaecologist from Bangalore, India.

Although I was brought up in one of the illustrious cities of India, rural service has always deeply interested me. As it was part of the undergraduate curriculum at St. John’s Medical College Hospital, Bangalore. I have completed rural service both after my undergraduate training and post-graduation, and I have also worked in obstetric tribal health. There are several such tribes along the Eastern Ghats, and one such tribal population resides in Sittlingi; Sittlingi is a valley nestled between the Sitheri and the Kalrayan hill ranges, with a tribal population. This is primarily the Lambadi Tribe who have migrated over generations from the north. It is at the fringe of the Dharmapuri district and lies close to 3 adjacent districts. There are more than 22 villages (and counting) in the valley and the total population is more than 12,000. The infant and maternal mortality of the region was one of the highest in the country until the early 90s.

I have been practising rural obstetrics and gynaecology, and I did not anticipate that I would be managing highly complicated cases that would normally require an entire team in a medical college setting. I have had to learn to manage such patients with a small but highly efficient team. Although I have been in the UK for the past years, I have used my annual leave to return to the village frequently to help.

What started as a small dream turned into a reality; In spring 2026 I plan to return to Sittlingi with the support of some of my colleagues. I have selected three tribal youth to provide this care in this project. This is the very first of its kind worldwide where we have trained Tribal individuals to provide specialist bereavement care to the Tribal themselves. This has generated a wave of changes. It would not only provide them with a livelihood, but also offer a sense of protection in many ways, both politically and physically.

I will be working with the educational team to certify 35 tribal nurses. Fernandez Foundation will be conducting a side-by-side workshop for the 35 nurses during the same period. Sochara, run by Dr. Ravi Narayan’s group and involved in obstetric protocols for India, will also participate and conduct a workshop side-by-side. Hence, three workshops will be conducted over three days simultaneously, side-by-side, for 35 nurses.

Your kind donations & contributions to support my mission would be greatly appreciated, I have previously self-funded my travel & work for this project.