India has registered 4,361 thalassemia patients in 2025, with over half being children under 12. The government has introduced tracking via the Sickle Cell Portal and financial aid for transplants. Health Minister Anupriya Patel highlighted the sharp rise from just 806 cases in 2023. Preventive measures and treatment support are being expanded nationwide to combat this genetic disorder.
"From 806 thalassemia patients
in 2023, the number rose to 4,361 in 2025" – Anupriya Patel, Union Health
Minister
A total of 4,361 patients have been
registered as thalassemics in the country in 2025, of which 2,579 are under the
age of 12, the government informed the Parliament during the ongoing Monsoon
session on Tuesday.
Key Points
1 Thalassemia cases surged from 806 in 2023 to 4,361 in 2025
2 2,579 affected children under 12 registered in 2025
3 Govt added thalassemia module to Sickle Cell Portal for
tracking
4 Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana offers Rs 10 lakh for
transplants
Thalassemia is a severe inherited
blood disorder, passed from parents to children.
The disorder occurs when the body
doesn’t make enough of a protein called haemoglobin -- an important part of red
blood cells -- forcing the need for blood transfusions every fortnight.
In a written reply in the Rajya
Sabha, Anupriya Patel, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare,
detailed the number of thalassemia patients registered in the country during
the last three years.
"From 806 total diseased thalassemia
patients in 2023, the number sporadically rose to 2,576 in 2024 and 4,361 in
2025,” Patel stated.
The cases of the blood disorder have
also risen among children aged under 12.
"In 2023, there were just 360
children under 12 registered with the disease, in 2024 the number jumped to
892, and 2,579 in 2025," the Minister noted. All the cases were registered
in 18 states.
Further, in view of the rising cases
of the genetic disease, the government in 2023 added a thalassemia module in
the national Sickle Cell Portal to enable states to enter the records of
existing patients.
“Monitoring and follow-up are done,
and the data of thalassemia for screening is entered regularly on the National
Portal,” Patel said.
Other measures rolled out by the
government to curb thalassemia cases include support to states under the
National Health Mission (NHM).
The Centre provides support to states
for the prevention and management of thalassemia at public healthcare
facilities, provision of blood bank facilities, day care centres, medicines,
and lab services.
“The Ministry, in association with
Coal India Limited (CIL), is also implementing a scheme, namely Thalassemia Bal
Sewa Yojana (TBSY), wherein financial assistance up to Rs 10 lakh is provided
to eligible patients for Bone Marrow transplants (BMT) from CIL Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR) funds,” Patel said.
The scheme, which provides BMT in 17
empanelled hospitals across the country, has so far helped more than 700
children with life-saving transplants. Most of these children are now leading
healthy and normal lives.
India is the thalassemia capital of
the world. Every eighth thalassemia patient in the world lives in India. And
yearly, about 10,000-20,000 new thalassemia majors are born.
https://www.newkerala.com/news/o/thalassemia-4361-patients-registered-2579-age-12-2025-says-850
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