Head of advanced skills at Pacific Medical College, Dr. Deepak Joshi founded the Muskaan Foundation to address critical societal issues like road safety, education, and first aid. Motivated by a personal tragedy, he has trained over 600,000 individuals in CPR and supported 1.5 lakh children in education through his NGO.

Dr. Deepak Joshi serves as the Head of the Department of Advanced Skills and the Simulation Center at Pacific Medical College and Hospital in Udaipur.

In addition to his academic and professional role, he is also the founder of the Muskaan Foundation, an initiative dedicated to making a positive impact on the community. Through his NGO, Dr. Joshi combines his expertise in medical education with a deep commitment to social causes, driving both personal and professional growth in the field of healthcare and beyond. Since 2017, the Muskaan Foundation has been working on various road safety and first-aid projects.

On the professional front, he serves as the HoD of a division at Pacific Medical College & Hospital that focuses on a wide range of skill development projects and courses. These initiatives are designed to equip individuals with essential life skills, ensuring they are prepared to face challenges in both their personal and professional lives.

Talking about his NGO, Dr. Deepak Joshi shares that the Muskaan Foundation has been working since 2017 on projects related to road safety, education, health, and first-aid. In 2018, after the sudden death of his grandmother, his vision to expand the foundation became even stronger. He believes that had she received immediate medical treatment, she might have survived. This personal loss motivated him to give back to society, which led to the registration of the Muskaan Foundation. Since then, the foundation has received a very positive response, driving him further to continue his work and expand the foundation's impact.

Through the Muskaan Foundation, they have focused on first aid training, and so far, they have provided CPR and first-aid training to over 6 to 7 lacs people. Additionally, under the supervision and guidance of Rajasthan's former Governor, Kalraj Mishra, they launched a ‘Vidhya Dhan Abhiyan’. As part of this initiative, they have provided stationery to over 400,000 economically disadvantaged children in Rajasthan’s 18 districts.

Furthermore, he explains that the purpose behind this initiative is to ensure that children, especially in rural areas of Jodhpur, have the necessary tools for education. While books are often available, many children lack basic stationery to write. Through this program, they carefully selected needy children and ensured they received the educational resources they needed to continue their learning journey.

Talking about his inspiration for social work, Dr. Deepak says he feels that the drive to engage in social work comes from within. It depends on the individual whether they want to give something back to society or not. He advises that if, alongside your profession, you are contributing to society through social work or making a positive difference in someone's life, there is no greater fulfilment than that. He firmly believes that this is the highest calling.

Reflecting on his childhood, Dr. Deepak Joshi shares that he was born in Raniwara village, in the Jalore district of Rajasthan and completed his schooling there itself. Then he came to Udaipur and did his higher studies in Homoeopathic Medicine from Rajasthan Vidyapeeth Homoeopathic Medical College.

Recalling his early years, Dr. Joshi shares that it was not easy for him to travel from a western district of Rajasthan to Udaipur. The area he came from was considered to have one of the lowest literacy rates and levels of education. Coming from such a place and establishing himself in Udaipur was no easy task. However, it was his strong desire to make a difference and his determination to achieve something that brought him to where he is today.

Dr. Deepak Joshi considers his father to be his role model, attributing much of his success to him. He believes that for everyone, their father is the greatest role model because of the immense debt they owe to the fathers for raising them, educating them, and shaping them into good human beings. According to Dr. Joshi, no one can be a greater role model than a father.

The lines that motivate him a lot are:

“पानी व पसीने में बड़ा अंतर होता है,

पत्थर व नगीने में बड़ा अंतर होता है,

अरे मुर्दा घड़ियों की तरह सांस लेने वालों,

सांस लेने व जीने में बड़ा अंतर होता है।”

He explains that there is a significant difference between living life and just letting it pass. If there is quality in your life, if you cannot reflect by the end of the day on what you have done or how you could have done better for yourself, your society, or your family, then you are merely passing time. Breathing from morning to evening does not constitute living. True life is about doing something meaningful, giving yourself satisfaction, and contributing positively. That is what it truly means to live, believes Dr. Deepak.

Dr. Deepak Joshi advises new aspirants wishing to enter the NGO field that, according to the guidelines of the Government of Rajasthan, anyone can register a society or trust. By adhering to government policies, you can run projects focused on social welfare and work towards improving society. For those interested in joining the Muskaan Foundation, they can contact the foundation at 8005601886 or join through the link provided on their website.

Dr. Joshi considers a major turning point in his life to be the moment he read a report and learned that only 2% of adults in India know what CPR is. CPR is a crucial first-aid technique that can save a person experiencing cardiac arrest and unable to breathe by providing immediate intervention. He was shocked to discover that 88% of cardiac arrests occur at home. Understanding the seriousness of this issue, he took it upon himself to start providing CPR training to spread awareness and empower people to save lives.

Till now, he has provided CPR training to more than 6-7 lac people and has achieved a significant milestone by helping over 1.5 lakh children in the education sector. However, he doesn't consider awards and trophies as true achievements. For him, the real milestone will be determined by the impact he can create in people's lives. His focus now is to work on data and measure how many lives he can truly transform—that will be his greatest accomplishment.