In a paediatric bone marrow transplant (BMT) ward on the third floor of Health 1 Super Speciality Hospital, Ahmedabad, a quiet revolution is unfolding. Gone are the cold, antiseptic surfaces. Instead, walls bloom with painted peacocks, doors are draped with printed affirmations, and a nine-year-old girl traces the outline of a tiger as her IV stand trails loyally behind her. For children undergoing intensive treatment for blood disorders, the surroundings are no longer defined solely by tubes, tests, and beeping machines. They offer visual relief, gentle distraction, and, in small but significant ways, a sense of control in a world otherwise governed by uncertainty.
This transformation is the result of a partnership between the hospital, the Bengaluru-based Sankalp Foundation—known for its work in thalassemia care—and the global non-profit DKMS, the world’s largest stem cell donor registry. At the heart of this initiative is Dr Elke Neujahr, who serves as DKMS’s global CEO. Neujahr’s entry into the world of healthcare was unexpected. A decade ago, she was brought in as a strategic advisor to Peter Harf, the German entrepreneur who founded DKMS in 1991 after losing his wife to leukemia. In 2018, Neujahr took over as CEO, steering DKMS to become a key player in global stem cell donation, with over 11 million registered donors and more than 1,20,000 transplants facilitated worldwide. “We’re now helping about 21 patients a day find matches,” she says. A lifelong nature enthusiast and avid wildlife photographer, Neujahr often spends her holidays tracking elephants in Africa or documenting sperm whales off the Azores. “I think the natural world reminds us how fragile and resilient life can be,” she reflects. That sensibility has subtly informed her approach to healthcare infrastructure.
When DKMS joined hands with Sankalp Foundation to support the Ahmedabad BMT ward, Neujahr insisted the design do more than meet clinical standards. “We wanted to create a space that doesn’t feel like punishment,” says Dr Dhiren Patel, the hospital’s lead paediatric oncologist. “For many children, this is not just a week-long admission. It’s months of isolation. Their room becomes their world.”
And in that world, every small detail matters. It’s not a solution to the complexities of paediatric cancer care, but it’s a step towards humanising it.