K. B. Desai

K. B. Desai (3 September 1897 – 5 November 1979) was an Indian medical doctor, a local leader of Congress from Navsari during the Indian independence movement, and a social reformer. He was a Gandhian.

Freedom struggle
Vallabhbhai Patel was imprisoned in the wake of the Salt March in 1930. Desai acted as a spokesperson for Mahatma Gandhi in Navsari, organizing the local police as a strategy to help release Patel. He was imprisoned on multiple occasions for his role in the freedom struggle.

President of Navsari Municipal Council
After independence in 1947, he served as President of Navsari Municipal Council (Nagarpalika Pramukh).

Medical career
Desai graduated with an M.B.B.S. from Bombay (Mumbai) in 1922. He obtained further medical training from Dublin and Vienna. Desai provided surgical, obstetric, dental and non-surgical care. He built and ran K. B. Desai Hospital in Navsari.

Social reform
Desai was actively involved in social reform movements. He opposed the caste system, admitting patients of all castes to his hospital and serving them food from a single kitchen using one set of utensils.