Sickle cell anaemia elimination mission

The story so far: Sickle cell anaemia (SCA), a genetic blood disorder, found mention in the Budget this year. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the government will work in “mission mode” to eliminate the condition by 2047. India is the second-worst affected country in terms of predicted births with SCA — i.e. chances of being born with the condition. What is sickle cell anaemia? In 1910, a physician named James Herrick wrote of discovering unusual red blood cells in an anaemic student from Granada, Spain. Unusual, because unlike their usual globular structure with an indented center – like a doughnut with a hole – these blood cells were shaped like a sickle, similar to the letter C. This was the first description of sickle cell anaemia in western medical literature. Haemoglobin which is tasked with carrying oxygen to all parts of the body has four protein subunits — two alpha and two beta. In some people, mutations in the gene that creates the beta subunits impact the shape of the blood cell and distort it to look like a sickle. A round red blood cell can move easily through blood vessels because of its shape but sickle red blood cells end up slowing and even blocking, the blood flow. Moreover, sickle cells die early, resulting in a shortage of red blood cells that deprive the body of oxygen. These obstructions and shortages may cause chronic anaemia, pain, fatigue, acute chest syndrome, stroke, and a host of other serious health complications. Without treatmen...

Integrate thalassemia along with the sickle cell anaemia elimination mission, the chief of the National Thalassemia Welfare Society (NTWS) has urged the government on the World Thalassemia Day on Monday. According to government data, India has the largest number of children with Thalassemia major – nearly 1.5 lakh — and almost 4.2 crore carriers of beta thalassemia trait. Close to 15,000 babies with thalassemia major are born every year and are dependent on transfused blood for survival. Overall, there are more than 27 crore thalassemia patients in the world. According to Dr JS Arora, general secretary of the National Thalassemia Welfare Society, “After polio, sickle cell elimination is the biggest health project of the central government. Thalassemia should not be left behind in this mission as both are genetic blood disorders.” News18.com first reported in November about the central government’s plan to eliminate sickle cell disease from India by 2047. The government has decided to Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood disorder where red blood cells contort into a sickle shape, whereas thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder characterised by less oxygen-carrying protein (haemoglobin) and fewer red blood cells in the body than normal. Several experts have raised questions about government focusing more on sickle cell programme than thalassemia. They feel the reason could be that the former is more prevalent among the tribal community, therefore, the government h...

Facebook LinkedIn WhatsApp Twitter Telegram Messenger SMS With a view to envision a prosperous and inclusive India, in which the fruits of development reach all regions and citizens, especially our youth, women, farmers, OBCs, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman presented Union Budget 2023-24 in Parliament, here today. New Nursing Colleges In line with this vision of Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission Smt Nirmala Sitharaman also announced launch of Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission which will entail awareness creation, universal screening of 7 crore people in the age group of 0-40 years in affected tribal areas, and counseling through collaborative efforts of central ministries and state governments. ICMR Labs available for R&D: To promote research in medical sector and innovation, the Finance Minister said that facilities in select ICMR Labs will be made available for public and private medical college faculty and private sector R&D teams. Research & Innovation in Pharma Sector: A new programme to promote research and innovation in pharmaceuticals will be taken up through centers of excellence, the Finance Minister announced. “We shall also encourage industry to invest in research and development in specific priority areas”, she added. Dedicated multidisciplinary courses for medical devices: Highlighting importance of futuristic medical technologies and high-end manufacturing in medical...

Union Budget 2023: Health budget and allocations, govt aims to eliminate sickle cell anaemia by 2047 Union Budget 2023: Health budget and allocations, govt aims to eliminate sickle cell anaemia by 2047 Under the Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission, a mission to eliminate Sickle Cell Anaemia by 2047 will be launched Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her fifth straight budget today. This was also last the full budget of Modi 2.0 govt before the next parliamentary elections in 2024. In medical & nursing colleges sector, one hundred and fifty-seven new nursing colleges will be established in co-location with the existing 157 medical colleges established since 2014. Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission Under the Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission, a mission to eliminate Sickle Cell Anaemia by 2047 will be launched. It will entail awareness creation, universal screening of 7 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. Medical Research sector In Medical Research sector, facilities in select ICMR Labs will be made available for research by public and private medical college 10 faculty and private sector R&D teams for encouraging collaborative research and innovation. Pharma Innovation sector Under the Pharma Innovation sector, a new programme to promote research and innovation in pharmaceuticals will be taken up through centers of excellence...

The mission is to eliminate by 2047 sickle cell anaemia, a condition widespread among many tribal population groups in India | Representational image One of the major announcements in Wednesday’s (February 1) Budget 2023-24 speech by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was the fight against sickle-cell anaemia. The announcement was made under the first priority area — Inclusive Development — of the seven identified for the Budget this year. The other priorities are Reaching the Last Mile, Infrastructure and Investment, Unleashing the Potential, Green Growth, Youth Power, and Financial Sector. Also read: Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission According to the Finance Minister’s speech, Inclusive Development covers farmers, women, youth, OBCs, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, divyangjan, and economically weaker sections. The Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission was announced under this section because the condition is widespread among many tribal population groups in India. The mission is to eliminate sickle cell anaemia by 2047. It will involve raising awareness, universal screening of 7 crore people in the 0-40 age group in the affected tribal areas, and “counselling through collaborative efforts of central ministries and state governments.” Sickle cell anaemia belongs to a group of inherited disorders known as sickle cell disease. Known to be widespread among people of the Deccan plateau, the disease affects the shape of red blood cells, which carry oxygen to all p...