Thank you for your interest. Applications are now closed.
This is a hospital-based Fellowship for Postgraduate doctors who choose to experience working in underserved communities across India. It is a unique opportunity to learn from experienced doctors who have dedicated their lives to this work and to grow through hands-on practise every day.
MBBS with MD/MS/DNB
Eligibility
Jan-Dec 2027
Programme Duration
7 clinical and surgical
Specialisations
Observership at CMC Vellore
For 4 weeks with a certificate
15 established, public-spirited hospitals in India
Locations
Attractive honorarium and benefits
Potential for long-term employment opportunities
We believe every person and every family has the right to good health.
We see health as a public good. That’s why we focus on supporting the public health system – from the first point of contact in the community to primary care centres and secondary hospitals. When each part of this system works well, care becomes more accessible, reliable, and humane.
Our work in health began in 2022 and has been growing steadily since. Know more
A purposeful choice
As a young Postgraduate doctor, you have several choices ahead of you. You can pick the beaten path or blaze a new one.
This is an invitation to take the road less travelled. To serve communities in some of the most underserved regions of India where good doctors and their expertise are the hardest to access.
This is an invitation to gain a unique perspective and to experience what it is to practice medicine with purpose.
Come, free yourself from the ordinary and contribute to the goal of health equity in India.
What you’ll gain:
- One-of-a-kind hands-on experience in public-spirited hospitals
- High and diverse case load
- Mentorship from experts
- Observership certificate from CMC Vellore
Fellowship locations
The Fellowship is a collaborative effort of Azim Premji Foundation and 15 not-for-profit hospitals across India.
ASHWINI (Association for Health Welfare in the Nilgiris)
ASHWINI’s Gudalur Adivasi Hospital (GAH) was established in 1990 and is now a 50-bed, not-for-profit, community-owned hospital serving one of Tamil Nadu’s most underserved regions. Its services span general surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, family medicine, emergency and diagnostic care, and visiting specialist clinics. The hospital, with a 12-bed maternity unit, ensures that 94 percent of Adivasi women in the region deliver in a hospital setting, mostly at GAH. Its community health programme reaches 20,000 Adivasis across 320 hamlets through health centres, health animators, and village volunteers.
Chinchpada Christian Hospital
The 50-bed, not-for-profit Chinchpada Christian Hospital (CCH) in Nandurbar district, Maharashtra, was established in 1942. It primarily serves poor and remote indigenous communities, predominantly the Bhils, across Nandurbar and Navapur talukas, Sakri, parts of Nashik district, and neighbouring areas of Gujarat. The hospital provides care in general medicine, general surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, dental care, emergency and critical care, and also offers radiology, laboratory, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy services. Its community health programme reaches approximately 16,000 people with programmes in sickle cell disease screening and care, TB and leprosy control, NCD screening, home-based palliative care, and disability rehabilitation.
Christian Hospital Bissamcuttack
Christian Hospital Bissamcuttack (CHB) is a 200-bed, multidisciplinary, not-for-profit hospital in Rayagada district, Odisha. CHB provides care in general medicine, general surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, anaesthesia, ophthalmology, dentistry, emergency and critical care, and offers blood bank, laboratory, and radiology services. Its MITRA community health programme provides preventive, primary, and maternal and child healthcare across 54 remote villages, reaching more than 13,500 people in Rayagada, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, and neighbouring districts of southern and western Odisha.
Christian Hospital Chhatarpur
The 100-bed Christian Hospital Chhatarpur (CHC), established in 1930, provides affordable healthcare and education to poor and marginalised communities in Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh. Its services include obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, medicine, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, dentistry, psychiatry, and critical care, including a Level III NICU. The hospital’s community health programmes reach people across 124 rural villages and 10 urban wards through primary healthcare, school health and mental health programmes, rural eye-screening camps, disability inclusion initiatives, and support for vulnerable girls.
Gram Seva Trust
Gram Seva Trust was established in 1994 to serve rural and indigenous communities across Navsari, Surat, and Dang districts of Gujarat, and Surgana block of Nashik district, Maharashtra. Its 100-bed hospital provides secondary healthcare across medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, orthopaedics, dentistry, ENT, dermatology, and psychiatry. The hospital also has an ICU, NICU, dialysis unit, operation theatres, laboratory, physiotherapy department, and a District Early Intervention Centre. Its community health programmes reach 109 villages in Navsari and Dang districts, focusing on maternal and child health, adolescent health, non-communicable diseases, and mental health.
Herbertpur Christian Hospital
Herbertpur Christian Hospital (HCH) was established in 1936 in the Western Doon Valley of Uttarakhand. The 150-bed hospital provides secondary and specialised care in general surgery, orthopaedics, paediatrics, ENT, dermatology, dentistry, and obstetrics and gynaecology. Its facilities include four operating theatres, ICU, NICU, emergency services, dialysis, radiology, laboratory, and blood bank services, as well as a DOTS centre for TB care. Its community outreach programmes provide disability care, mental health services, palliative care, and support for destitute women across rural areas of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.
Jan Swasthya Sahyog
Jan Swasthya Sahyog (JSS) was established in 2000 by healthcare professionals who chose to work in the forested region of Achanakmar Tiger Reserve in Bilaspur district, Chhattisgarh. Its community health programme serves 72 villages in the reserve, while its 150-bed hospital provides care to people from nine adjoining districts of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. JSS trains postgraduate doctors in family medicine and general surgery, as well as BSc nurses and paramedics for operation theatres and laboratories. It also works with the governments of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh to strengthen the public health system.
Maa Danteshwari Hospital (SEARCH)
Maa Danteshwari Hospital was established in 1993 through the Society for Education, Action and Research in Community Health (SEARCH) in Shodhgram, Gadchiroli district, Maharashtra. It serves patients from Gadchiroli, neighbouring districts, and bordering areas of Chhattisgarh. The hospital provides a range of medical and surgical services, supported by visiting specialists and regular surgical camps. Its community health programme includes mobile medical units, community health workers, and a network of ASHA workers who identify and refer patients requiring hospital care.
Madhipura Christian Hospital
Established in 1953, Madhipura Christian Hospital (MCH) is a 100-bed hospital in Madhepura district, northeastern Bihar. It serves as an important referral centre for the region, helping patients access care closer to home. Its clinical services include general medicine, laparoscopic surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, NICU and ICU care, anaesthesiology, psychiatry, emergency care, dental services, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and palliative care. Its Community Health and Development Programme reaches 91,895 people across 50 villages through medical camps, malnutrition and non-communicable disease screening, home-based palliative care, non-formal schools, and a Community College offering Home Health Aide courses for young women.
Makunda Christian Leprosy & General Hospital
Makunda Christian Leprosy & General Hospital is located at the tri-junction of Assam, Tripura and Mizoram. Established in 1950 as a leprosy colony, it is now a healthcare centre serving rural communities across the Northeast. Its services include general medicine, general surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, orthopaedics, psychiatry, dental care, ICU and NICU services, laboratory and radiology investigations, blood storage and physical rehabilitation. Its community health programmes cover 148 villages, including antenatal clinics and early identification and rehabilitation clinics. The hospital also works with academic and public health institutions on research and health programmes.
SEWA Rural (Society for Education Welfare and Action)
SEWA Rural is a voluntary development organisation working in health and development in rural and Adivasi areas of South Gujarat since 1980. Its 275-bed Kasturba Hospital provides outpatient, inpatient and emergency care in obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, ophthalmology, general medicine and planned surgery, with patients coming from more than 3,000 villages across neighbouring districts and states. Other than running eye and OBGYN camps in the community, SEWA Rural’s wider work includes adolescent health, sickle cell research, child health, anaemia screening, and tele-counselling for postnatal women and newborns.
Shaheed Hospital
Shaheed Hospital is a 150-bed hospital in Dalli Rajhara, Balod district, Chhattisgarh. It was founded in 1983 as a worker-built and worker-run institution, with workers contributing part of their wages and voluntary labour to establish the hospital. It provides care to communities across the rural mining belt of Balod, Kanker, Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki, and Rajnandgaon districts. Its facilities include surgical suites, a pathology laboratory, blood bank, High Dependency Unit, nursery, physiotherapy, dental services, sonography, X-ray, and CT services. Its community health work includes village-level health awareness campaigns, worker outreach, sickle cell anaemia awareness, and workshops on snakebite injuries.
Swami Vivekananda Medical Mission
Swami Vivekananda Medical Mission (SVMM), established in 2002 in Agali, Palakkad district, provides free and subsidised healthcare and community health programmes for underserved indigenous communities in the Attappady Tribal Block. Its 50-bed hospital provides outpatient, inpatient and emergency care, along with MICU, NICU, a labour room, operation theatre, laboratory, radiology, and ambulance services. Its community health work reaches 192 hamlets through village health workers and programmes focused on sickle cell anaemia, mental health and de-addiction, maternal and child nutrition, adolescent health, and school health.
Tribal Health Initiative (THI)
Tribal Health Initiative (THI) was established in 1993 in Sittilingi Valley, Dharmapuri district, Tamil Nadu. Its 35-bed hospital provides primary and secondary healthcare, including surgical and obstetric care, ultrasound, endoscopy, and laparoscopic surgery. THI’s community health programme covers 25 villages, with a population of around 10,000, and includes education and health awareness activities.
Vivekananda Memorial Hospital
Established in 1998, Vivekananda Memorial Hospital (VMH) is a 100-bed, not-for-profit hospital in Saragur, Mysuru district, Karnataka. It provides care in general medicine, general surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics and neonatology, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, dentistry, psychiatry and Ayurveda, along with emergency and critical care, diagnostic services. and specialist consultations. VMH also supports healthcare training and public health internships. Its community health network reaches nearly 4,00,000 people across 95 sites, including 74 Adivasi villages, through mobile health units and outreach camps.
Application and Enrolment
Your Fellowship journey starts here
A simple selection process for doctors ready to take on the responsibility of caring for communities in rural and remote India
Eligibility
Check your eligibility
- Commitment to serve the underserved and resilience to work in areas with poor access to good doctors.
- MBBS + MD/MS/DNB in Anaesthesia, Community Medicine, Family Medicine, General Medicine, General Surgery, OBGYN, Paediatrics.
- Registration with a State Medical Council.
- Willingness to relocate to participating hospitals across India.
Selection Process
Selection process in five simple steps
- Apply online
Complete your application and upload your resume. - Application review
Your application is reviewed. - Interview
Shortlisted candidates will go through two rounds of online discussions. - Final offer
Selected candidates receive an offer. - Join Fellowship
Complete the joining formalities and begin your Fellowship.
Key Dates
30 Sept 2026
Applications close
By 31 Oct 2026
Offers made to selected candidates
Oct 2026 – Jan 2027
Fellowship begins
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Will Fellows receive an honorarium?
Yes, the Azim Premji Foundation will provide the Fellows an honorarium. It will be in two parts — a monthly payout of INR 60,000, and an additional payout of INR 2.4 lakh on completion of the programme. In addition, you will be eligible for all Foundation benefits such as Medical, Accidental and Life Insurance coverage, Gratuity & Provident Fund. Additionally, the Foundation will cover relocation and travel costs across locations of participating hospitals. All payments made to the Fellows will be subject to statutory deductions and applicable taxes, if any.
What placement opportunities are available after the Fellowship?
The Fellowship will open opportunities to work with participating hospitals and Azim Premji Foundation after successful completion of the Fellowship.
Which specialisations are eligible for the Fellowship?
The Fellowship is open to postgraduate doctors in Anaesthesia, Community Medicine, Family Medicine, General Medicine, General Surgery, OBGYN, and Paediatrics.
What living arrangements will be provided for Fellows?
The institutions where Fellows are posted will either provide suitable living arrangements, for individuals or families as applicable, or facilitate the same.
Will Fellows receive a certificate at the end of the Fellowship?
Yes. At the end of the programme, Fellows will receive a certificate of completion from Azim Premji Foundation and an Observership certificate from CMC, Vellore.
How will the programme benefit the Fellows?
With a diverse patient load, the hospitals will provide the Fellows with the opportunity to practise and learn clinical skills firsthand. The Fellows will also be part of a four-week long Observership programme at CMC Vellore. The Fellows will also learn from highly experienced mentors at established medical centres in different parts of India, which will help them develop an understanding of community health and acquire work experience in their specialisation.
Where will the Fellowship be based?
The Fellows will be based in one of the 15 participating hospitals across India.
How is this Fellowship different from a specialised fellowship or residency?
This programme is different from a specialised fellowship or residency. We seek to offer rich experience in clinical and community work at the 15 participating hospitals. This will help you understand the causes of ill-health as also its presentation, and how medical knowledge needs to be contextualised and applied for the benefit of not just patients, but also their families and the community at large, with a focus on the use of appropriate technology and medicines.
