On 7 November 2025, McGill University’s Global Health Programs and the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences announced that Drs. Lalitha Regi and Regi George, co-founders of the Tribal Health Initiative (THI) in Tamil Nadu, India, are the 2025 co-recipients of the Paul Farmer Award for Global Health Equity.
The award is named after the late Dr. Paul Farmer, internationally recognized anthropologist and physician who co-founded Partners In Health. It recognizes individuals whose work embodies equity, social justice, and a lifetime commitment to serving vulnerable populations. The selection committee this year honored Regis for three decades of transformative health care delivery among India’s rural and tribal communities.
From a Thatched Clinic to a Model of Rural Healthcare
In 1993, the Regis, both graduates of Christian Medical College, Vellore, moved into the Sittilingi Valley in Dharmapuri district, Tamil Nadu-a very remote region where tribal populations hardly had access to medical care. At that time, the valley had an infant-mortality rate of 147 per 1,000 births and no qualified doctors within a 50-kilometre radius.
They started with a thatched-roof clinic. Over 30 years, that clinic grew into a 35-bed hospital, backed up by a network of more than 40 trained local health workers and outreach to over 100 villages. According to the Tribal Health Initiative’s Annual Report (2024–25), the infant mortality rate in THI’s service area has fallen to around 8 per 1,000 births, and the initiative has reported zero maternal deaths in the past 15 years.
Integrating Health, Livelihood, and Dignity
The philosophy of the Regis extends beyond clinical care. Through THI, they initiated SOFA, now with over 700 small farmers, aimed at organic cultivation and food security. They also helped start the Porgai Artisans Association, a women’s cooperative that revived the traditional Lambadi embroidery of the region.
These parallel initiatives link public health to nutrition, income, and cultural identity, embodying what McGill’s Global Health Programs described as “a holistic vision of health rooted in social empowerment.”
The Global Recognition
The Paul Farmer Award for Global Health Equity recognizes global health practitioners who work to deliver effective, locally-owned solutions in the most marginalized settings around the world. Past recipients include community-health leaders from Rwanda, Haiti, and Peru.
As McGill University stated in its 2025 citation, the Regis represents the very spirit of Paul Farmer’s work: medicine grounded in equity, humility, and a belief that healthcare is a human right.
The recognition also epitomizes the growing influence of India in community-based, global health models. THI’s model supplements the government’s efforts under the National Health Mission and Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres, yet it is independently operated, proving that sustainability can arise from community participation rather than central funding.
Global Significance
Regis’ work arrives at a time when global-health discourse is shifting from crisis response to long-term systems building. In the words of Dr. Madhukar Pai, Director of McGill’s Global Health Programs, the 2025 award highlights “the importance of local capacity and continuity over short-term intervention,” underscoring the Regis’ long-term commitment to community health.
The Sittilingi model (a community-led rural health system developed by the Tribal Health Initiative.) serves as a practical lesson in “decolonising global health” for institutions worldwide by putting expertise and ownership in the hands of those most affected.
Continuing Challenges
Despite its success, THI still grapples with three persistent challenges: attracting young doctors to rural postings, achieving financial stability without corporate or government control, and tackling new emerging issues like mental-health stress among tribal youth.
Yet, the couple’s three-decade commitment epitomizes the fact that endurance rather than scale defines meaningful impact. As Dr. Madhukar Pai, Director of McGill Global Health Programs, says, “The Regis remind us that real equity begins where humility meets persistence.”
A Legacy Rooted in Service
The Regis’ message was characteristically modest when they accepted their award in Montreal. “Our work is a collective effort,” said Dr. Lalitha Regi. “The community has taught us what healthcare truly means.” The recognition of Drs. Lalitha Regi and Regi George is not only a personal honour but also a proud moment for India. Their work showcases the strength of India’s grassroots healthcare movements and reaffirms the country’s growing role in shaping the global discourse on equitable and community-based health system
In a world increasingly seduced by technological quick fixes, their story affirms an age-old truth: the most transformative medicine originates not in the policy rooms or global summits but in the patient, daily act of showing up for those who have been forgotten.
Clear Cut Award Desk
New Delhi, UPDATED: Nov 09, 2025 04:17 IST
Written By: Janmojaya Barik
