More than 7.25 crore screenings for sickle cell anaemia have been conducted in the tribal dominated areas of the country till July 26, Union Health Minister J P Nadda told the Lok Sabha on Friday. Responding to a question, Nadda said public health and hospitals are state subjects and that the Union health ministry provides technical and financial support to the states and UTs for conducting screenings for sickle cell anaemia, procurement of drugs and strengthening the existing blood banks/establishing new blood banks, based on proposals received as programme implementation plans (PIPs) under the National Health Mission (NHM).

Under the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission (NSCAEM), screenings in the targeted age group of 0-40 years are conducted at all the health facilities, from district hospitals up to the Ayushman Arogya Mandir (AAM) level, in 17 states with tribal population, including Maharashtra, for the diagnosis of sickle cell disease (SCD).

"As reported by the states on the SCD portal, as on July 26, more than 7.25 crore screenings have been conducted in the tribal dominated areas of the country, including 1.11 crore in Maharashtra," Nadda said.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has devised the cost norms for the establishment of centres of excellence (CoE) on SCD, funded by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA), in various states.

Also, 17 CoEs in 15 states, including AIIMS Nagpur, have been approved by the MoTA, Nadda said.

Patients living with SCD are provided with counseling about lifestyle management, and pre-marriage and pre-natal decisions, he said.

On the availability of the drug Hydroxyurea, Nadda said it has been included in NHM's essential drugs list for sub-health centres, primary health centres, community health centres and district hospitals to address the issue of access to medicine, the health minister said.

To monitor drug procurement and ensure the availability of essential medicines in the public health facilities, the government has launched the Drugs and Vaccine Distribution Management System (DVDMS), he said.

Through the MoTA, awareness and counselling material have been developed and shared with the states for propagation of awareness about the disease, its screening and management.

Under Department of Health Research, the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has established the ICMR-National Institute for Research in Tribal Health (NIRTH) in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, and the Centre for Research Management and Control of Hemoglobinopathies in Chandrapur, Maharashtra, which supports national programmes, including sickle cell disease, Nadda said.

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