Transforming health equity with a sharp focus on preventing and managing hemoglobinopathies
Particularly Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Disease. Our mandate spans prevention, early diagnosis, treatment and palliative care, delivered through large-scale, system-integrated public health programmes.
Our Vision
A future where every child in India is born free of preventable genetic blood disorders, and where people living with life-limiting conditions have access to dignified, compassionate care.
Our Goal
90% reduction in births of children with thalassemia and sickle cell disease by 2035 — through universal screening, care infrastructure, and sustained investment in public health systems.
Two decades of compassionate action
VEHA holds many meanings — breath, movement, and that vital moment when action can change the course of a life. It reflects our deepest conviction: that prevention is possibility, and that health is the foundation from which choice, resilience, and human potential can truly grow.
This belief is what drives VEHA Foundation — a public health-focused philanthropy built on the idea that every child deserves to be born free from preventable suffering. Through early action, awareness, and equitable care, we work to unlock health, freedom, and dignity for all.
For over two decades, we have passionately supported comprehensive care, employing a holistic approach that integrates management, treatment, and palliative care at every stage of a patient's journey. Prevention may be quiet, but it is profoundly powerful — and that understanding shapes everything we do.
VEHA Foundation operates through deep partnerships with clinicians, hospitals, academic bodies, and government systems. Our work combines clinical rigour, data-driven programme design, and a commitment to compassionate public health. The foundation is currently scaling national programmes with multi-year commitments, anchored in strong governance, transparent reporting, and measurable outcomes.
Our team
Guided by experienced leaders who bring together expertise in public health, clinical care, programme management, and governance.
Directors
Director
Rumana Hamied
Founder and driving force behind VEHA Foundation — a public health–focused philanthropy dedicated to eliminating preventable blood disorders such as thalassemia and sickle cell disease in India.
Director
Neel Shahani
An experienced corporate leader and board director with over two decades of leadership across financial services and social impact sectors, including senior roles at J.P. Morgan and Barclays.
Chief Operating Officer
Atul Gandhi
Driven by a passion for strengthening how organisations work, he focuses on building robust operational systems that turn strategy into effective action. Drawing on nearly two decades of experience in philanthropy, grantmaking, and monitoring & evaluation, he advances programme delivery, financial stewardship, team development, and stakeholder engagement to enable data-driven impact across health, education, disability, and safety initiatives.
Finance
Finance Controller
CA Parag Jamadagni
Leads financial operations with oversight of accounting, internal controls, statutory compliance, budgeting, and automation initiatives. With over 19 years of experience in nonprofit and CSR finance, he brings rich expertise in audit, donor fund management, regulatory compliance, and financial governance frameworks.
Senior Finance Manager
Sameer Kshirsagar
He oversees cash flow planning, financial operations, budget monitoring, and statutory compliance. With over 30 years of experience in finance, including extensive work in the nonprofit and CSR sector, Sameer specialises in financial governance, audit coordination, and operational finance management.
Programme Team
Senior Programme Manager
Nishi Arora
A programme management professional with over 15 years of experience driving prevention-focused initiatives and systems change across the social sector. Previously with SHARE Mumbai, Aakar Innovations, and Salaam Bombay Foundation, she brings deep expertise in multi-stakeholder coordination, capacity building, and scaling community health and education programmes.
Senior Programme Manager
Pramila Singh
Strategic public health leader with 17 years of progressive experience designing, scaling, and governing large multi-state programmes across India and international humanitarian settings. She brings strong expertise in programme strategy, budgeting, team leadership, and innovation, with a proven ability to align complex initiatives to organisational goals and drive equitable, people-centred health systems.
Technical Advisory Committee
While we prevent, we care
We have brought together respected clinical, academic, and systems-thinking experts in haematology across India. This represents a shift from fragmented efforts to a united, national approach. The goal — eliminating preventable benign blood disorders while strengthening care for those who live with them today.
Our Esteemed TAC
Dr. Ratna Sharma
Director, CTC-PHO-BMT Centre
Borivali, Mumbai
Dr. Sunil Bhat
Vice-Chairman, Oncology Collegium, Narayana Health Group of Hospitals
Director and Clinical Lead — Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation, Narayana Health Network Hospitals
Dr. Ambreen Pandrowala
Consultant, Paediatric Immunology & BMT
BJ Wadia Hospital for Children
Dr. Dinesh Bhurani
Director, Hemato-oncology & Bone Marrow Transplantation
Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Centre
Dr. Mamta Manglani
Director — Paediatric Haematology-Oncology & Bone Marrow Transplant
SunAct, Mumbai
Why the TAC Matters
Clinical Integrity
Upholds ethical and professional standards in all clinical processes. Acts as a watchdog to maintain consistency and safety in healthcare delivery.
Impact on Decision-Making
Provides expert guidance that informs strategic and operational choices. Facilitates evidence-based policies that drive effective outcomes.
VEHA's Credibility
Serves as a key pillar supporting the organisation's reputation and trustworthiness. Ensures clinical standards are maintained at the highest level.
The TAC Ensures
"Prevention and care are parallel moral obligations."
Be part of the change
Our work is built on partnerships. Explore how clinicians, institutions, policymakers, and philanthropic partners are contributing to the mission.