Bhopal, A simple, low-cost screening and genetic counselling card developed by a doctor couple from Madhya Pradesh to tackle sickle cell disease in tribal areas has gained international recognition, featuring in a book published by Harvard University Press.
Dr Nishant Nambison is an associate professor at the Govt Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital in Bhopal, while his wife Smita is a doctor and an independent researcher. The book traces the global journey of scientific research into sickle cell disease, including its prevention and treatment, and highlights the Nambisons’ work in tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh. The initiative began after he and his wife witnessed the difficulties faced by children and families affected by sickle cell disease in Chhindwara, particularly due to limited awareness, screening and access to genetic counselling, according to Dr Nishant.
The innovation by homoeopaths Prof Dr Nishant Nambison and Dr Smita Nambison has been highlighted in the book, “Curved Air: A Biography of Sickle Cell Anaemia and the Quest to Cure the First Molecular Disease”, authored by molecular geneticist Kevin Davies, published in August. To address these challenges, Dr Nishant said they developed the GIPCI Card, which uses colours and a special punch-hole system to help people understand their sickle cell status and the genetic risk of passing the disease to their children.
Responding to Davies’ question about India’s ambitious goal of eliminating sickle cell disease as a public health problem by 2047, Prof Nambison is quoted as saying in the book, “There is nothing wrong with being ambitious. Whether this goal will be achieved or not, time will tell.”
