About The Sambhavna Trust Clinic
Healing Survivors of the Worst Industrial Disaster in the World
Given the limitations of modern medicine, there is need for evolution of an appropriate system of health care, monitoring and research for survivors of Bhopal. Such work is relevant to chemical victims worldwide.
37,000+ Registered Survivors:
Including those exposed to the leaked gas, and those exposed to the contaminated water
Free Medical Care to Survivors:
Developed treatment protocols through integration of Modern medicine, Ayurveda, Panchakarma and Yoga for safe, simple, inexpensive and effective treatment of problems caused by toxic exposure.
Drug-free Therapy:
Provided effective drug-free therapy to over 9000 persons, majority of them Muslim women, through Yoga and Pranayama.
Revealing harms caused by Union Carbide and Dow Chemical’s Poisons
At a Press Conference on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal, members of the Sambhavna Trust Clinic presented analysis of clinical data of 16,303 gas exposed and 1,806 unexposed patients who received care at the Clinic in the last 16 years.
Significantly higher rates of respiratory illnesses, mental health disorders, diabetes, hypertension, gynecological conditions, Kidney-related conditions and neurological conditions…
Read the following Press Statements to understand the harms: 40th anniversary statement, Women’s day 2024, 36th anniversary statement, 34th anniversary report, 2003 press statement.
Sambhavna’s Publications
The Sambhavna Trust Clinic has published and presented its findings in multiple international journals and forums.
- Effects of Yoga practices for Respiratory disorders related to the Union Carbide gas disaster in 1984. A Gupta, S Durgavanshi and I. Eckerman, Population Health Unit, Nacka Hospital, Nacka (E), Sweden. XVI World Congress of Asthma, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 17-20 October 1999
- Catch-up growth in males affected by the Union Carbide disaster of 1984 in Bhopal, India. Daya R Varma, Ritesh Pal, Diana Katgara, Satinath Sarangi, Tasneem Zaidi, Steven Holleran, Rajashekhar Ramakrishnan and Shree Mulay. Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Volume 22, Issue 1 Supplement 01 Mar 2008
- Effects of exposure of parents to toxic gases in Bhopal on the offspring. S. Sarangi Mtech, T. Zaidi, R.K. Pal, D. Katgara, V.G. Gadag, S. Mulay, D.R. Varma. American Journal of Industrial Medicine Vol. 53, Issue 8, August 2010, pp. 836 – 841
- Methyl Isocyanate Exposure and Growth Patterns of Adolescents in Bhopal. Nishant Ranjan, Satinath Sarangi, V T Padmanabhan, Steve Holleran, Rajshekhar Ramakrishnan, Daya R Varma. Journal of American Medical Association Vol. 290, No. 14, October 8, 2013 pp 1856-1857
- COVID-19 Mortality in 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy Survivors: Implications for Chemically Exposed Populations. Rachna Dhingra, Satinath Sarangi, Pranab Chatterji, Arkaprabha Gun, Swarup Sarkar. Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Sambhavna in the news
Short of funds after losing FCRA licence, clinic serving Bhopal tragedy survivors may close tomorrow (The Print, Dec 30, 2024)
In 2019, Sambhavna Trust’s FCRA registration was cancelled for alleged violation of rules & its bank account was frozen. Certification is must for receiving foreign contributions. Read Article.
Bhopal Gas Disaster Survivors Protest Imminent Closure of Sambhavna Clinic Due to Fund Crunch (The Wire, Dec 30, 2024)
The trust’s application for FCRA registration has been pending with the home ministry for close to two years, since February 2023. Read Article.
Bhopal gas victims face more health complications than unexposed: NGO (The Statesman, Dec 2, 2024)
According to the Sambhavana Trust Clinic, several new diseases are manifesting at a much higher rate among the gas-exposed survivors compared to the unexposed population. Read Article.
36 years on, Bhopal gas tragedy survivors battle obesity, thyroid disorders (Hindustan Times, Dec 2, 2020)
Higher obesity due to gas exposure is likely to have made Bhopal gas tragedy survivors vulnerable to various diseases like diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease, osteoarthritis and cancers, said a trust that runs a clinic for treatment of the survivors. Read Article.
Awards and Recognition
- In July 1999, Sambhavna Trust was awarded the Japanese Tajiri Muneaki Prize for 1999, for “meritorious services rendered to thevictims of the Bhopal gas disaster“.
- In September 2001, members of the Sambhavna Trust and Clinic were presented with the “Inner Flame Award 2001” by the Governor of Madhya Pradesh, for “outstanding humanitarian work and excellence in deed.”
- In January 2002, Sambhavna Trust was awarded the MEAD 2001 Award by the Margaret Mead 2001 Centennial Committee of the Institute for Intercultural Studies, New York and Whole Earth magazine, San Francisco. This international Award honours groups that reflect Margaret Mead’s statement: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.“
- In May 2009 The International Regenerative Health Care Award was awarded to Sambhavna Trust for “outstanding community healing work” by Health Care Without Harm, USA.