Bhopal Doctors’ Sickle Cell Initiative Gains Harvard Recognition

Two doctors from Bhopal worked with tribal communities in Chhindwara.

In 2018, they screened nearly 25,000 people for sickle cell disease.

They faced problems such as low literacy, limited healthcare access and stigma.

The doctors wanted people to understand genetic risks more easily.

Dr Smita Nambison created a colour-coded card with holes to show genetic probabilities.

The card helps explain Mendelian genetics in a simple visual way.

It is connected to a mobile application and a central database.

Their work was described in Kevin Davies’s book published by Harvard University Press.

This brought international attention to their approach.