President Murmu to attend National Sickle Cell Eradication Mission-2047 in MP on Jun 19

Bhopal, Jun 9 (PTI) President Droupadi Murmu will take part in a National Sickle Cell Eradication Mission-2047 programme in Talun village in Madhya Pradesh's Barwani district on June 19, an official said on Monday.

June 19 is observed as World Sickle Cell Day with the aim of increasing public knowledge about the genetic blood disorder. The global theme for this year is 'Every Nation, Every Drop - Unite By Donating Blood'.

"The programme will be held at the gram panchayat sports stadium in Talun. President Murmu will be the chief guest. Others who will attend include MP Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, Governor Mangubhai Patel and Deputy CM Rajendra Shukla. Many innovations will be launched on this occasion, including genetic counselling awareness videos and comprehensive guidelines/modules for affected pregnant women," the official said.

"Panchayats that complete 100 per cent screening of the targeted age group will be honoured on the occasion. Special counselling camps will be organised in 33 sickle cell affected districts in which people will be given information about genetic counselling, disease management, possibilities for future generations and necessary medical services," he added.

At these camps being held in all primary and secondary health institutions from sub-centres to district hospitals, patients will be identified, screened and other family members will also be examined, while sickle cell patients and caregivers will be made aware of the management methods in acute conditions like pain crises, the official informed.

"A campaign will be run for screening and counselling in the specially affected tribal and rural panchayats of the district. Genetic counselling cards developed at the state level will be distributed, which will facilitate people in understanding genetic information. Mega camps will also be organized for creation of UDID cards to simplify the process of linking sickle-cell patients with disability schemes and financial assistance," the official said.

Under the National Sickle Cell Eradication Mission in the state, screening of 1.05 crore citizens has been completed so far. More than two lakh carriers were identified and 28,297 people were found to be suffering from sickle cell disease, the official said.

So far, more than 75.36 lakh sickle cell cards have been distributed, through which the affected citizens are getting proper treatment by understanding their health condition, he said.

The State Hemoglobinopathy Mission was started in MP on November 15, 2021 as a pilot project in Alirajpur and Jhabua, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the mission at the national level from Shahdol in the state on July 1, 2023.

"Currently, screening is going on in 33 districts of the state, which includes 89 development blocks of 20 districts and 13 additional districts (PM Janman Yojana). For the elimination of sickle cell, we have set up a special lab in AIIMS Bhopal for testing newborns in 72 hours. All identified patients are being provided the facility of hydroxyurea, folic acid and free blood transfusion," he said.

For serious patients, a bone marrow transplant unit has been set up in Indore Medical College, where more than 100 transplants have been done, the official said, adding a Centre of Excellence has also been established in Rewa.

Under the mission in Madhya Pradesh, continuous and sustained efforts are being made towards achieving the goal of completely eliminating sickle cell by 2047, the official added. PTI MAS BNM