Indo-Asian News Service, October 16, 2006
Bhopal, Oct 16 (IANS) The Sambhavna Trust Clinic has treated free in 10 years over 22,000 people affected by poisonous gas that leaked from the Union Carbide plant. As it prepares to celebrate its 10th anniversary Tuesday, it appealed for donations and public involvement in the voluntary work.
Well-known environmental scientist Sunita Narain, director of the Centre for Science and Environment, will be chief guest at its anniversary function, said Aziza Sultan, a community health worker here.
All the physicians, technicians and community health workers from the Sambhavna Trust Clinic appealed to the people of Bhopal for donations and their involvement in the charitable work.
“A poster exhibition on environmental health, folk dances, a play by children, screening of a film made by Sambhavna staff and the release of a book on the occasion will be part of the programme. It will be presided over by Justice N.K. Jain, president, State Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission,” Aziza said.
Every day over 200 people come for treatment at the clinic, located near the Union Carbide factory where the severely affected people reside.
The clinic also carries out research on the long-term effects of the disaster and the treatment, monitors exposure-related deaths and conducts surveys.
The Sambhavna Trust that runs the clinic does not accept money from governments or corporations. All funds required to run the clinic come from individual donations and from the royalties of the book, “It was Five Past Midnight in Bhopal”, by Dominique Lapierre and Javier Moro.
The clinic, formed Sep 2, 1996, has provided free medical care to thousands of people suffering from after-effects of the December 1984 poisonous gas leak and the contamination of ground water by Carbide’s chemical wastes.

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