Wayanad: Dr Dahar Muhammed, 40, Medical Officer at Noolpuzha Family Health Centre (FHC), Wayanad, one among the winners of the state government's Best Doctors award 2023, is a much respected figure in a village with over 40% tribal population.

A native of Tanur in Malappuram district, Dr Dahar joined the health service in 2014. His first appointment was at the Community Health Centre in Panamaram. In 2017, he was transferred to Noolppuzha. Bordering the jungle on three sides and close to the Karnataka border, providing health care to tribal hamlets in far-flung jungle zones was a challenge.

According to Sheeja Satheesh, Noolppuzha panchayat president, Dr Dahar's entry has revolutionised the healthcare system, breaking all the barriers, bringing in all the facilities, and reaching out to the remotest corners.

“As the head of the local body, we never found it tough to source maximum funds and spend them in time as Dr Dahar always has a set of projects polished and ready to submit, any time, in his kitty," she said.

Among the projects, the most notable one was the Pratheeksha Project, under which the tribal women were given prenatal care. The 'Speech and Hearing Therapy' unit, children's park, vending machines for napkins, solar powered vehicles for transportation of patients from one unit, entirely digitalized e-health system are a few other projects which were implemented in the hospital.

In 2022, the health centre bagged 95 marks in the National Quality Assurance Standards (NAQS), and in 2018 the health centre also had adjudged the best PHC in India. WHO former chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan, who had visited the family health centre, expressed her amazement over the facilities. "I have never seen a primary health centre like this anywhere in the world,” she posted on X.

 Dahar said that the award inspires him to envisage more projects to empower the weak. The YODHA (Youth Organization Against Drug Habitual Abuse) project to empower youngsters against drugs is the upcoming major project envisaged by Dr Dahar and team in the FHC.

"During the nine years, the people got closer to me and the support from the Panchayath and the state government for each project also was remarkable,” said Dr Dahar told Onmanorama.