Surat: Bharuch-based voluntary organisation SEWA Rural has won the BMJ Awards South Asia 2026 in the healthcare team category for its pioneering work in caring for pregnant women with sickle cell disease (SCD).Based in Jhagadia, Society for Education, Welfare and Action – Rural (SEWA Rural) was selected from more than 700 entries across South Asia for a care model that has reported a more than 50% reduction in maternal mortality and a 61% reduction in stillbirths among women with SCD.The BMJ Awards South Asia, organised by BMJ, recognise excellence and innovation in healthcare across the region.Led by Dr Gayatri Desai, medical director and head of gynaecology at SEWA Rural, the initiative focuses on improving outcomes for pregnant women with SCD.An assessment of more than 10,500 tribal deliveries between 2016 and 2019 found that nearly one in 10 resulted in stillbirth, while around 70% of babies had low birth weight. The findings prompted SEWA Rural to strengthen the identification, monitoring and treatment of SCD pregnancies. Between 2016 and 2025, the organisation screened around 35,000 deliveries and managed more than 700 high-risk SCD pregnancies at its hospital in Jhagadia.
