It's been 18 years since a gas leak from a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India, killed 16,000 people. But the disaster continues to claim lives every day. According to official reports, half a million local people exposed to the toxic gases have poison still circulating in their bloodstreams. And many of them have come to rely upon a small, holistic clinic not far from the shuttered Union Carbide plant for help and hope.

The Sambhavna Clinic sees as many as 110 people a day suffering from internal organ damage, vision problems, shortness of breath, persistent coughs, menstrual irregularities, fatigue, depression, anxiety, and a host of other painful disorders. "Right from the beginning it was very obvious that modern medicine wasn't working for all the health problems [of the Bhopal disaster]," says Sathyu Sarangi, an engineer turned activist who helped found the clinic six years ago and currently serves as its managing trustee.

He launched the clinic with the belief that Indian officials, anxious to downplay the disaster out of fear of "jeopardizing the investment climate," were not paying attention to side effects of the gas leak-tuberculosis, cancer, reproductive problems-showing up in survivors.

Sambhavna, which means "possibility" in Hindi, is housed in a two-story building that doesn't look like a hospital or a clinic. Potted flowering plants decorate the rooftop terraces. Fruit trees with benches underneath surround the grounds. Patients practice yoga on a terrace with walls decorated by the paintings of children. Inside, the clinic bears even less resemblance to conventional medical centers. The familiar odor of biocidal synthetic cleansers is absent; the clinic uses only plain water for cleaning. There are two rooms for ayurvedic massage and a library where information related to the gas accident is readily available.

In another room, staff members prepare more than 60 ayurvedic medicines, using herbal ingredients formulated according to this ancient Indian healing tradition. There are three cubicles for doctors, a computer room, a pathology laboratory, and a facility for regular cervical screening, Pap smears, and treatments for cervical cancer. Sambhavna is the only facility in the city to conduct regular Pap smears.

The clinic has survived mainly through appeals for donations in national and international newspapers. An international advisory group provides professional support to the clinic and serves as a link for fund-raising in other countries. Many of the staff also donate their services. After finishing her residency in community and family practice, Dr. Jaysi Chander spent six months volunteering at the clinic. "One of the most memorable and poignant moments for me," she says, "was when an elderly Muslim widow living in a slum in Bhopal offered a garland of flowers to me as a sign of her appreciation for the medical care I had offered her. She prayed for my good health and I for hers."