Telangana To Expand Thalassemia Care Centres To More Districts
TSCS president Dr Chandrakant Agarwal said thalassemia could be prevented through timely screening and awareness.
Hyderabad: Thalassemia and sickle cell care services will be expanded to Asifabad, Mancherial and Karimnagar districts, health minister C Damodar Rajanarsimha said, said while flagging off an awareness walk on International Thalassemia Day here on Friday.
The minister said day care centres for thalassemia affected children were functioning in Adilabad, Nizamabad, Warangal and Khammam districts, while a haemoglobinopathies centre of excellence was being set up at the Warangal Super Speciality Hospital as cases remained high in tribal regions.
He said the government was planning special screening programmes to identify thalassemia and other hereditary blood disorders at an early stage and added that nearly 11 lakh people had already been screened for sickle cell disease. The two-kilometre walk was organised by the Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Society (TSCS).
TSCS president Dr Chandrakant Agarwal said thalassemia could be prevented through timely screening and awareness. The society said it would continue awareness and outreach programmes as part of its goal of working towards a “Thalassemia free India” by 2035.
The minister said as thalassemia patients required regular blood transfusions, iron chelation therapy and, in severe cases, bone marrow transplants, which place a heavy financial burden on families, the government was strengthening blood transfusion, medicine and advanced treatment facilities in government hospitals to support patients at every stage.
“No child should suffer because of lack of awareness, diagnosis or treatment,” the minister said, adding that patients diagnosed with such disorders were being provided free treatment and medicines in government hospitals. He said advanced treatments, including bone marrow transplants, were available at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad.
The two-kilometre walk was organised by the Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Society (TSCS). Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender, healthcare professionals, patients, volunteers, blood donors and members of the public participated in the programme.
Participants carried placards and raised slogans calling for regular blood screening, genetic counselling and preventive testing
