Earlier this year we were contacted by long-term BMA supporter, Sylvia Cornfield, to see if we would be able to organise a presentation, focusing on the achievements of the Bhopal Medical Appeal, to members of the congregation at St Peter’s Church, Gildersome near Leeds, a beautiful, modern building and place of worship in a thriving Yorkshire parish.
The congregation welcomed Tabish Ali, the BMA’s Information Officer in Bhopal, India, and felt extremely privileged that he had given his time to come to Gildersome during his busy schedule while visiting the UK this September. Tabish gave a presentation talking about the Bhopal disaster, and its catastrophic effect upon the health and well-being of people in the city, and described the first-class, free healthcare provided to patients at the Sambhavna Trust Clinic.
Much of Tabish’s work has been with the children who come to the Chingari Trust Rehabilitation Centre who suffer from physical and mental disabilities and have benefited from the treatment and therapy given by Chingari’s dedicated and compassionate staff. The stories of improvements seen in children attending Chingari are incredibly heart-warming and Tabish explained to the audience some of the progress being made to enrich and improve their young lives. More than 800 children are already registered with the clinic but there remains a far greater need in the affected communities; increased funding will be required to develop new and larger premises if the challenge of helping more children is to be met.
