In Patna’s Bikhna Pahari area, the scene outside Dr Ejaz Ali’s hospital is markedly different from what many patients may expect from a senior surgeon. Instead of sitting inside an elaborate consultation room, Ali is often seen in a simple kurta-pyjama and skull cap, sitting on a plastic chair in the open courtyard of his hospital as patients wait for their turn. The consultation fee is Rs 10. Dr Ali has kept the fee at the same amount for decades. He began practicing as a general surgeon in Patna in 1984 and, according to a February 2025 TOI report, continues to see more than 100 patients on an average day and perform seven to eight surgeries. Patients also travel to his hospital from different parts of Bihar.The low-cost approach extends beyond consultation. According to an earlier TOI report, appendix operation at his hospital, including post-surgery medicines, costs around Rs 17,000, while gallbladder stone removal costs about Rs 11,000, including medicines. In some cases, surgery charges are waived, while patients who cannot pay at once may be allowed to pay in installments.
Why has he kept the consultation fee at Rs 10?
For Ali, the answer goes back to his own experience of poverty and the advice he received from his mother. When TOI asked him why he had kept his fee so low, he said, “I saw poverty around me and there were certain instructions from my mother too.” He also explained why he tries to see patients on the same day. Many of those who come to his hospital travel from outside Patna, and another visit can mean additional spending on transport, food and accommodation. “I get satisfaction from such service to society,” he said.
From Patna Medical College to a decades-long medical practice
Dr Ejaz Ali was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Bihar in March 2008.
Ali was born in 1958 into a lower-middle-class family and was one of 10 siblings. He studied medicine at Patna Medical College and Hospital and later completed his master’s in surgery. He started his medical practice in Patna in 1984. His father, Sheikh Mumtaz Ali, worked as a Block Development Officer. His career later extended beyond medicine. Dr Ejaz Ali was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Bihar in March 2008. He served as a member of the Upper House until July 2010. During his parliamentary tenure, he raised issues relating to Bihar, minorities and access to government services, among other subjects.
His advice to other doctors
Despite his long medical career, Ali’s own approach to treatment remains focused on keeping the financial burden on patients in mind. His message to fellow doctors is, “Before treatment, think of the patient’s pocket. Do not go for unnecessary tests and expensive medicines. One needs to get out of greed.” His daughter Dr Suraiya Anjum, a gynaecologist, told TOI that her father’s behaviour with patients has also influenced the family. “He is somebody who never raises his voice, never gets irritated. It is not easy to imbibe these habits,” she said. His other daughter, Dr Naghma Anjum, is a pathologist. She described how the family has watched him continue working for long hours. “We get scolded, even if the patient is wrong, but patients are his priority. We have seen him operating for hours together, even while fasting with just one date. In fact, his support staff have also become like him, humble and hardworking.”
His late wife was also a doctor; three children followed the profession
Medicine has remained a family profession for the Ali household. According to a TOI report, his late wife was also a doctor and charged only Rs 10 for her services. His three children are doctors as well. His son, who studied medicine at an American institution, charges Rs 100 for consultation, while his daughter Dr Suraiya Anjum charges Rs 50. The family’s medical practice has therefore continued the principle of keeping consultation charges relatively low, although the fees charged by the children are different from their father’s Rs 10 fee.
A hospital that draws patients from across Bihar
Ali’s hospital in the Bikhna Pahari/Ashiana-Digha Road area has become a destination for patients looking for affordable treatment. People from different parts of Bihar travel to the hospital. On an average day, Ali sees large daily patient numbers at his clinic. Ali has also been involved in social and political activities. He has worked for the rights of disadvantaged communities and has been associated with the All-India Backward Muslim Morcha, which he founded in 1994. Decades after starting his practice, the routine remains simple: patients arrive, wait their turn, and meet a surgeon whose consultation fee is still Rs 10. For patients who have travelled from outside the city, Ali’s decision to see them on the same day can also mean one less trip and fewer expenses. As he put it, “I get satisfaction from such service to society.”
