This story is part of
Decoding Budget 2023
SHOW MORE 67 STORIES

Budget 2023 | Government to launch mission to eliminate Sickle Cell Anaemia by 2047

The Finance Minister has said that seven crore people in the age group of zero to 40 years will be screened as part of the mission.

February 01, 2023 11:46 am | Updated 01:09 pm IST


Sickle Cell Anaemia (SCA) is an inherited blood disorder. (Photo for representation)

Sickle Cell Anaemia (SCA) is an inherited blood disorder. (Photo for representation)

The government will roll out a mission to eliminate Sickle Cell Anaemia (SCA) by 2047, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in her Union Budget 2023-24 speech on Wednesday. Follow Live Updates Here

Announcing initiatives for the health sector, the Finance Minister told Parliament, “The mission will entail awareness creation, universal screening of seven crore people in the age group of 0-40 years in effective tribal areas and counselling through collaborative efforts of central ministries and State governments.”

Earlier in the day, the Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the Budget for the fiscal year 2023-24 (April 2023 to March 2024), which was followed by its presentation in the Lok Sabha by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Regarding other initiatives in the health sector, the Finance Minister announced that facilities of select Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) labs will be made available for private research and development teams.

What is Sickle Cell Anaemia?

Sickle Cell Anaemia is a common genetic disorder among Indians affecting the red blood cells. It is transmitted by parents carrying a defective ‘beta globin’ gene. The disease starts early in life. Those affected have persistent pain, low amount of haemoglobin, low energy, reduced growth along with other abnormalities and multiple episodes of frequent severe pain.

Like most genetic disorders, SCA has no cure but has symptomatic treatments for pain, anaemia and vaso-occlusive crisis.

The disease is well-known in tribal populations as well as prevalent in general populations in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Around 0.4% of the population suffer from SCA, while 10% are carriers who lead to birth of new patients.

Top News Today

Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.