Girl to become first doctor from Naxal-hit Dornapal in Chhattisgarh

Dornapal: While growing up in Naxal-hit Dornapal district of Chhattisgarh, Maya Kashyap had one dream- to become a doctor. She came one step closer to her dream in June after she cleared the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), conducted annually for getting admission into courses related to the profession.

The teenage girl, who studied at a government school, will be the first doctor from Dornapal after completing MBBS degree in 2023 from Ambikapur medical college.

Securing a medical seat was not a cake walk for Maya as her family had to struggle to make ends meet after her father passed away when she was in Class 6. 

With an undaunted determination to achieve her goal, Maya managed to clear the exam in her second attempt.

Recalling the hardships faced by her, she said, "My mother had to take care of my three siblings besides me. They too were studying in school at that time. I only used to get Rs 500 as pocket money for a month. Due to the paucity of funds, I faced a lot of issues while preparing for NEET, but because I was goal oriented I managed to overcome the hurdle. So, without paying heed to problems, I concentrated only on studies and was working only towards fulfilling my dreams."

She expressed a wish to return to her hometown after becoming a doctor so that she can provide help to the people who are deprived of basic medical facilities.

The NEET-UG is an entrance examination for medical aspirants, who want to pursue graduate medical and dental courses at government or private medical colleges.