The ICMR-CRMCH reports significant progress in India's Sickle Cell Elimination Mission, ensuring hydroxyurea therapy reaches primary healthcare centers. Over 5.72 crore people have been screened, with tribal communities disproportionately affected. Dr. Manisha Madkaikar highlights improved awareness and treatment accessibility under the initiative. The mission aims to eliminate SCD as a public health concern by 2047.
June 23, 2025
Sickle cell elimination mission ensured regular treatment at primary care centres: ICMR-CRMCH
"Hydroxyurea therapy is now
available regularly at every level right from primary health care" – Dr.
Manisha Madkaikar, ICMR-CRMCH
The National Sickle Cell
Elimination Mission led to mass awareness and ensured care for patients with
Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) -- the genetic condition -- at primary health
centres, said Dr. Manisha Madkaikar, Director, Indian Council of Medical
Research’s (ICMR)- Centre for Research, Management, and Control of
Heamoglobinopathies (CRMCH) in Maharashtra's Chandrapur.
Key Points
1
Sickle Cell Elimination Mission screens 5.72 crore people
2
Hydroxyurea therapy now accessible at primary centers
3
Mass awareness reduces disease burden
4
Tribal populations most affected (57%)
SCD is a chronic, single-gene
disorder that causes a debilitating systemic syndrome characterised by chronic
anaemia, acute painful episodes, organ infarction, and chronic organ damage,
significantly reducing life expectancy.
The genetic blood disorder affects
the entire life of the patient, as it leads to various severe health
complications.
The disease is particularly
prevalent in India, especially among the tribal population (57 per cent),
though it also affects non-tribals (43 per cent).
To counter the National Sickle
Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission was launched on July 1, 2023 by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi. It aims to eliminate SCD as a public health problem in India by
2047.
Speaking to IANS, Madkaikar
stated that the Sickle Cell Elimination Mission led to tremendous awareness,
among masses, patients and even healthcare workers, about the about genetic
disease, and the therapy.
“There has been a significant
improvement in awareness about sickle cell disease, we have done mass
population screening activities, community awareness activities, identified
large number of patients with sickle cell disease,” she said.
ICMR-CRMCH has been a key centre
in India working to fight sickle cell disease (SCD) and other blood disorders.
It was inaugurated in December 2022 by PM Modi.
The Director noted a “definite
progress in terms of diagnosis of sickle cell disease and their treatment”.
She stated that the “hydroxyurea
therapy -- the time tested and standard therapy for SCD -- which was till few
years back, not available or available only intermittently in few centres, is
now available regularly at every level right from primary health care level,”
Madkaikar told IANS.
“Now, the medical professionals
are comfortable in prescribing hydroxyurea, and they are being trained to how
to monitor patients with hydroxyurea,” the noted scientist said.
According to the Health Ministry
"as of June 3, 2025, a total of 5.72 crore people have been screened for
Sickle Cell Disease, achieving over 75 per cent of the three-year target".
Further, Madkaikar said that the
elimination mission enabled sickle cell counsellors to regularly counsel the
families about the disease.
They now also explain how to take
care of these patients and as well as how to prevent the birth of sickle cell
disease via antibiotics screening and pre-marital counselling, she said.
“There has been a tremendous
increase in awareness, and I am sure this will translate into better quality of
life and less burden of sickle cell disease in the long term in the country,”
Madkaikar said.
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