Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission at a public programme in Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh, on Tuesday with a target that no baby should be born with the genetic blood disorder condition by 2047.
As announced in the budget 2023-24, the mission will focus on awareness building, universal screening of seven crore people in the age group of 0-40 years in affected tribal areas and counselling through collaborative efforts of central ministries and state governments.
The Mission will be implemented in 278 districts of 17 high focused states in the country namely Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, and Uttarakhand.
According to reports, around 20 percent of children with SCD die by two years of age and 30 per cent children from tribal areas die before they reach adulthood. Most of them suffer periodic episodes of extreme pain. A major symptom of sickle cell anemia, pain develops when sickle-shaped red blood cells block blood flow through tiny blood vessels to the chest, abdomen and joints of the patients.
It is estimated that about one in 86 births among STs have SCD that affects haemoglobin in red blood cells, which can result in morbidity and mortality. Therefore, early detection, management, and treatment of the disease is critical.
During the event, the Prime Minister will also distribute sickle cell genetic status cards to the beneficiaries, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office (PMO) on Monday.
“The mission aims to address the pressing health challenges posed by sickle cell disease, particularly among the tribal population. The launch will mark a crucial milestone in the Government’s ongoing efforts to eliminate SCD as a public health problem by 2047,” the statement added.
Modi will also kickstart the distribution of about 3.57 crore Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) cards in the State. The card distribution campaign is a step towards realising the prime minister’s vision of reaching out to every beneficiary to ensure 100% saturation of welfare schemes.
The State has the highest tribal population in terms of numbers as per Census 2011. The focus of the government is on how we can eliminate SCD on the basis of awareness.
Welcoming the long-awaited move, Dr Nita Radhakrishnan, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Post Graduate Institute of Child Health, Noida said that since carriers are often asymptomatic, it is vital to do HBA2 levels for people living in States that have high prevalence of SCD. HBA2 if done mandatorily in the first 3 months of pregnancy can help detect affected babies as well.
In fact the SCD is such a deep entrenched health problem among the tribals that two years ago, a pilot project was launched by the Prime Minister for screening in Jhabua and Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh and 89 tribal blocks included in the second phase of project.
A total of 993114 persons have been screened so far. Out of whom 18866 have been detected HbAS (Sickle Trait) and 1506 (HbSS sickle diseased). Further, the state government has established an Integrated Centre for Hemophilia and Hemoglobinopathies in 22 tribal districts for treatment and diagnosis of patients.