Free Check-ups for Affected Children, Treatment Also to Remain Completely Free
Raipur, April 7, 2025 / Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai today inaugurated the Sickle Cell, Thalassemia Counseling Awareness, and HLA Matching Camp at the District Hospital, Jashpur. On this occasion, he met with children suffering from sickle cell and thalassemia and their families, inquiring about their treatment. This special camp saw the participation of not only children and their families from the Jashpur district, but also from neighboring districts like Balrampur, Sarguja, Surajpur, and Gumla district of Jharkhand.
Expert Doctors from Bangalore Arrive, Free HLA DNA Test Conducted
Bone marrow transplant specialist Dr. Sunil Bhatt from Narayana Hospital, Bangalore, conducted free HLA DNA tests and consultations for children up to 12 years of age at the camp. This test is essential for identifying suitable donors for bone marrow transplants.
Complete Treatment, Including Expensive Foreign Tests, Now Free
At the camp, Mrs. Kajal Suresh Sachdev of Kaas Foundation educated children and their families about sickle cell and thalassemia. She stated that the Chhattisgarh government is not only providing free access to essential medicines and testing facilities for children suffering from these diseases, but also covering the cost of the highly expensive HLA DNA test conducted in Germany, as well as complex procedures like bone marrow transplants in leading hospitals across the country, completely free of charge.
Under the National Sickle Cell and Anemia Elimination Mission, 209 sickle cell and thalassemia patients in the 0-15 age group have been identified in the Jashpur district. HLA DNA tests have been conducted on 110 of these children, and they have been selected for transplantation. Of these, 8 children have undergone successful free bone marrow transplants so far.
It is noteworthy that under the National Sickle Cell and Anemia Elimination Mission, effective work is being done in the district towards the eradication of sickle cell through the joint efforts of the District Administration, Health Department, UNICEF, Sangwari Sanstha, and Kaas Foundation.
On this occasion, Chhattisgarh Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board Chairman Shri Ram Pratap Singh, Municipal Vice President Shri Yash Pratap Singh Judeo, Shri Bharat Singh, Divisional Commissioner Shri Narendra Dugga, IG Shri Ankit Garg, Collector Shri Rohit Vyas, SSP Shri Shashi Mohan Singh, and other public representatives were present.