Angels Of Indore: Brother’s Death From TB Inspires Dr Dilip Sharma’s 23-Year Mission To Save Thousands
· Free Press Journal
Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Some choose a profession. Others discover a purpose within it. For Dr Dilip Sharma, the fight against tuberculosis became both.
His journey began with a deeply personal loss. His mother, Bharti Devi, once told him that his elder brother, Rajesh, had died of TB meningitis in childhood. She urged him to dedicate his career to treating tuberculosis and work towards a society free from the disease.
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Those words stayed with him.
Posted at the Community Health Centre in Depalpur since 2003, Dr Sharma now serves as nodal person for the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme.
For more than 23 years, his work has taken him far beyond the walls of a health centre.
In the early years of his service, he travelled extensively across nearly 460 villages in Indore district, covering Sanwer, Hatod and Depalpur development blocks.
His mission was simple in principle but demanding in practice: ensure that patients in rural and underserved areas were diagnosed in time, received treatment and did not abandon it midway.
Over the years, around 20,000 TB patients have received medicines supplied free under the government's DOTS programme and completed treatment with his support.
Behind that figure are thousands of individual stories: patients, families and communities given hope at a time when illness could easily lead to fear, isolation and stigma.
Dr Sharma believes the impact goes beyond those who were treated. Prompt diagnosis and treatment of infectious patients also helped reduce the risk of transmission. Their treatment records are maintained on the government's Nikshay portal.
For him, however, statistics tell only part of the story.
The real battle is often fought through awareness, persuading people not to ignore persistent symptoms, encouraging them to seek timely diagnosis and ensuring that they complete the full course of treatment.
In rural areas, where distance, lack of awareness and social stigma can become barriers to care, such work demands patience, persistence and trust.
His philosophy rests on a simple belief: TB is curable, but defeating it requires society to stand with the patient.
Even after more than two decades of service, Dr Sharma continues to look ahead. His ambition is summed up in perhaps the most personal line of his journey:
To End TB in My Lifetime.
He dreams of a time when tuberculosis no longer threatens families, villages or communities. He believes early diagnosis, complete treatment, community participation and collective responsibility can turn that dream into reality.
His journey began with the loss of a brother. It has since become a mission to protect thousands of other families from experiencing the same pain.
That is what makes Dr Dilip Sharma an Angel of Indore not because he sought recognition, but because for more than two decades he has quietly chosen service over applause.
His message carries the conviction of a man who has spent years walking towards the same destination:
TB Harega, Desh Jeetega.
Endorsement
According to Dr Vibha Nagar, Block Medical Officer, Depalpur, Dr Dilip Sharma has been serving at TB Unit No. 5 since 2003. Under his guidance, Depalpur block has topped Indore district in TB-free Gram Panchayats for three consecutive years: 2023, 2024 and 2025. We hope to achieve TB-free tehsil status soon.
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