A quiet movement in health care has been unfolding in the rural interiors of West Bengal, improving the lives of thousands of people in villages where no doctor has ever been before. It is an effort defined by vision and commitment and is far removed from the CPI(M)-led Left Front, which has spent 30 years in power in the state. The epicentre of this endeavour is the Shramik Krishak Maitri Swastha Kendra (Worker- Peasant Friendship Hospital) in Chengail in Howrah district, about 25 km from Kolkata.