Dr. Sailakshmi Balijepalli's journey did not begin with a dream of starting an organization.
It began with questions.
Growing up in a family of doctors in Hyderabad, she was surrounded by medicine from an early age. But alongside science, there was also spirituality. Conversations at home often revolved around purpose, service, and the deeper meaning of life. As a child, one question stayed with her:
"What am I?"
Years later, that question would shape the course of her life.
After completing her medical education and specialising in pediatrics, Dr. Sai stepped into hospitals with the same goal most doctors have- to save lives. But what she witnessed troubled her deeply. Too often, children and families were losing battles that should never have been fought in the first place. Not because treatment did not exist, but because they could not afford it or could not access it in time.
One patient in particular stayed with her.
During her internship, she treated a woman named Kulsumbi, who was critically ill and unable to afford care. With the support of her teachers and through sheer determination, Dr. Sai gathered medicines and supplies from wherever she could and helped save her life.
Months later, when the woman returned to thank her, Dr. Sai found herself confronting a difficult question:
Why should survival depend on someone's ability to pay?
That question would eventually lead her far beyond the walls of a hospital.
Over the years, she volunteered in disaster relief efforts, from the Gujarat earthquake in 2001 to the Bihar floods in 2008. She repeatedly chose service over personal convenience, often stepping away from opportunities that would have advanced her own career.
As a pediatrician, she began working closely with orphanages and vulnerable children. What started as a small effort soon revealed a much larger challenge. The problem was not a shortage of doctors willing to help. The problem was the absence of systems that could connect children to timely care.
In 2006, she began building a network of pediatricians who would support orphanages around Chennai. The initiative grew steadily, but she soon realised that creating lasting change would require something bigger.
So she made a difficult choice.
She left her job.
In 2009, she founded Ekam Foundation with a vision that every child, regardless of background or circumstance, should have access to the healthcare needed to survive and thrive.
What followed was not the creation of another charity, but the building of a movement. Ekam brought together hospitals, pediatricians, government institutions, nurses, schools, caregivers, and communities to strengthen healthcare systems for children.
The work expanded from supporting individual children to improving newborn care units, training caregivers, strengthening government health systems, and creating networks that could reach thousands of vulnerable families.
For Dr. Sai, this journey has never been about recognition.
It has always been about ensuring that a child’s chance at life is never determined by where they are born, how much their parents earn, or whether help arrives in time.
That belief continues to guide her work today.
Timeline
From Doctor to Changemaker
Awards & Recognition
Nari Shakti Puraskar (2015)
Awarded by the President of India through the Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to child healthcare and social impact.
Assocham Ladies League Grassroots Women Achievers Award (2014)
Honoured for her dedication to improving healthcare access and creating meaningful impact in the lives of vulnerable children and communities.
