New Delhi [India], May 8 : On the occasion of World Thalassemia Day, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Bharati Pravin Pawar on Monday launched the third phase of the Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana (TBSY).
The Union Health Ministry has been implementing the TBSY since 2017 under the National Health Mission (NHM) and had recently completed its second phase in March 2023.
The scheme is supported by Coal India Limited (CIL) as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative to commemorate World Thalassemia Day.
Union Minister Pawar also released the Standard Treatment Guidelines for Sickle Cell Anaemia Disease on Monday.
Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that causes the body to have less haemoglobin than normal.
According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Coal India CSR-funded Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT) programme is aimed at providing a one-time cure opportunity to underprivileged Thalassemia patients who have a matched sibling donor but do not have the financial resources to cover the cost of the procedure.
The programme has successfully completed 356 bone marrow transplants for Thalassemia patients across 10 empanelled hospitals in India during the two phases, said the Union Health Ministry statement.
On the occasion, Pawar said, "It is important to enhance screening of the disease, create more awareness and counselling opportunities and also increase treatment facilities to fight blood disorders such as Thalassemia and sickle cell disease."
Urging various stakeholders to come forward and lend a helping hand for strengthening the fight against blood-related disorders, the Minister stated that the multi-stakeholder approach will help to mobilize nationwide support for awareness and treatment for blood-related disorders.
Appreciating the efforts of partner Ministries and other stakeholders like CIL, she encouraged them to continue their efforts towards removing stigmas and misconceptions associated with such hereditary diseases and generating more awareness to address the knowledge gap surrounding sickle cell disease.
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