Special sickle cell anaemia campaign launched across Maharashtra till Feb 7

Pune: The state on Jan 15 launched the ‘Arunodaya’ special sickle cell anaemia campaign in 21 districts with a high prevalence of the disease, with the objective of achieving a ‘sickle cell anaemia-free Maharashtra‘ and ensuring a secure future for tribal communities, said officials. The campaign will be implemented till Feb 7. Extensive planning was undertaken by the public health and family welfare department to ensure that no citizen is deprived of sickle cell anaemia screening, read a statement issued by the public health department on Wednesday. Special emphasis was placed on screening citizens in the 0–40 age group.

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The primary objective of the campaign is early detection of sickle cell disease, timely treatment, and provision of referral services. The 21 tribal-dominated districts covered under this special campaign are Thane, Nashik, Nandurbar, Amravati, Gondia, Gadchiroli, Palghar, Nagpur, Wardha, Chandrapur, Bhandara, Yavatmal, Dhule, Jalgaon, Buldhana, Nanded, Washim, Akola, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Raigad, and Hingoli. Under this campaign, free sickle cell screening, diagnosis, treatment, counselling, regular health check-ups, blood transfusion as required, and expert consultation through telemedicine are being made available at govt health institutions. The public health department has appealed to citizens to get screened for the disease at their nearest govt health centre and contact ASHA workers or dial 104 for further assistance.

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