Mission to eliminate sickle cell anaemia by 2047

Hindustan Times

4 hours ago

'Sickle Cell Disease is a disease that impacts tribal sections of societies significantly. The government is committed to eliminate the disease before India celebrates its Amrit Kaal in 2047.' This is what Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi said while launching the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission (NSCEM) in Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh, on 1 July 2023.
Late one summer afternoon in a remote village in Jharkhand, 16-year-old Asha sat under a neem tree, her textbooks in her lap. The youngest of five siblings from a tribal family, Asha had spent much of her childhood battling crippling bouts of pain that would leave her bedridden for days. It wasn't until a government screening camp reached her village that she learned the cause — sickle cell anaemia, a genetic blood disorder that had quietly stalked her community for generations.
Asha's story is far from unique. Across India's tribal heartlands — from Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh to Gujarat and Maharashtra — thousands of young boys and girls like her are born with sickle cell disease (SCD), their lives shaped by an inherited condition that warps red blood cells and restricts oxygen flow. The disease brings severe pain, frequent infections, organ damage, and — all too often — an early death. For decades, in these isolated communities with limited healthcare access and low awareness, the burden of SCD remained largely hidden.
India, home to the world's second-largest tribal population, accounts for more than 42,000 newborns with SCD every year — a grim reminder of a long-neglected public health challenge. In many tribal belts, the prevalence of the sickle cell trait ranges from 1% to 40%. Generations of consanguineous marriages and the historic presence of malaria, which once gave the sickle cell trait a survival advantage, only deepened the crisis.
But change is now underway. The Government of India launched the National Sickle Cell Anemia Elimination Mission in 2023 — a bold effort to break this cycle of suffering. For young girls like Asha, this mission offers not just treatment — but hope.
Driven by the ministry of tribal affairs and the ministry of health and family welfare, the mission is anchored in an ambitious goal: To eradicate SCD as a public health threat by 2047, in step with India's vision for Amrit Kaal. The strategy rests on universal screening, early detection, and community-driven awareness — reaching even the most remote villages of India's 17 high-burden states.
Progress is already visible. More than one crore people have been screened since the mission began — a staggering feat in a landscape where health services often struggle to reach. In Asha's village, a simple solubility test, followed by a confirmatory HPLC analysis, revealed her condition early enough to start hydroxyurea therapy — reducing her painful episodes and allowing her to return to school.
Critically, the mission integrates sickle cell care into the vast network of Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres, created through PM Modi's flagship health care vision. These community hubs — familiar and trusted by locals — now provide screening, counselling, and ongoing treatment. Health care workers like ASHAs and ANMs are not only delivering medicines but educating families about the disease and genetic counseling, equipping them with knowledge that was once absent.
For tribal girls and women, the mission's impact is life changing. Maternal health outcomes, previously marred by frequent complications, are improving. Pregnant women with SCD now receive specialised care, reducing the risks of premature births and infant mortality. In states like Gujarat, nearly one lakh tribal women screened have already benefited from targeted interventions.
Technology is also playing a vital role. Through smart cards and digital health records — accessible in local languages — families can track their health status and make informed decisions about marriage and childbirth, breaking the generational transmission of the disease. Community figures like Theresa Naik, an SCD patient turned ANM in Jharkhand, are becoming powerful advocates, inspiring others to come forward.
Economically, the mission eases a heavy burden. Previously, tribal families often faced financial ruin from repeated hospital visits. Now, with the rollout of over three crore Ayushman Bharat digital cards, covering treatment up to ₹5 lakh, families can access free care — a crucial support in regions of endemic poverty.
For Asha and her peers, the transformation is tangible. Once confined by illness, she now attends school regularly, dreams of becoming a teacher, and educates younger children about SCD in her village.
As India approaches its centenary in 2047, the National Sickle Cell Anemia Elimination Mission stands as more than a health care initiative. It is a testament to empathetic governance — one that listens to the voices of its most marginalised citizens and acts with urgency. For India's tribal communities, it offers dignity, inclusion, and the promise of a healthier future.
For girls like Asha, it means no longer living in the shadow of a disease they never chose — but stepping into the light of possibility.
This article is authored by Tuhin A Sinha, national spokesperson, BJP.