Thalassemia screening should be made mandatory during antenatal care: Experts

On the eve of the World Thalassemia Day doctors and healthcare advocates have urged that firsttrimester Thalassemia screening should be made a mandatory part of antenatal careThey have come together to emphasise an urgent but simple message that Thalassemia major one of Indias most widespread inherited blood disorders is preventableWhile treatment costs can go up to Rs 4 to 5 lakh per child annually a screening test costing just Rs 150 can prevent the disorder altogether if done in time experts saidIndia continues to face one of the highest Thalassemia burdens globallyWith 863 births occurring daily in Delhi and a 956 per cent institutional delivery rate the city is uniquely positioned to lead a preventionfirst model said Dr Anupam Sachdeva CoDirector of the Institute of Child Health at Sir Ganga Ram HospitalThe strategy focuses on two critical pointsAll pregnant women should be screened during their first trimester At the same time individuals between 18 and 40 years of age should undergo voluntary testing especially in colleges workplaces and during premarital counselling These simple steps can prevent carrier marriages and future Thalassemia major births Dr Sachdeva saidFor just Rs 150 we can stop a child from a life of transfusions hospital visits and emotional trauma The science is clear the solution is simple We must make Thalassemia screening a standard part of antenatal care across India just like we do for blood sugar or haemoglobin he saidDelhis healthcare system is wellpositioned to support this effort The city has more than 150 diagnostic labs equipped with HPLC and D10 machines including top institutions like AIIMS he said and added each centre can screen up to 180 individuals per dayThis is not a challenge of resources but of prioritisation he saidShobha Tuli secretary Thalassemics India stated that Ayushman Bharat under the National Health Authority provides support to Thalassemia patients who fall below the poverty lineBut the reality is that the cost of managing Thalassemia is a burden even for middleincome families Tuli pointed outIf health for all is the goal Thalassemia must receive not just symbolic inclusion but real priority It deserves structural support and national attention Tuli saidCountries like Iran and several others have made Thalassemia screening mandatory before marriage and during early pregnancy she saidThese preventive measures have led to dramatic reductions in new Thalassemia major birthsIndia should also follow this proven path We strongly urge the Union Ministry of Health to introduce a national regulatory mandate for Thalassemia testing in the first trimester of pregnancy and across the reproductive age group Tuli saidDr VK Khanna InCharge of the Thalassemia Unit at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital said Our own hospital has screened over 50000 pregnancies in the last 25 years and we have had zero births of Thalassemia major from that pool The model works The infrastructure is ready What we need now is political and regulatory momentum to replicate this across the city and eventually the countryA parent of a Thalassemia major child added anonymously We have been managing this condition for eight years now Every few weeks our child needs a transfusion and the cost keeps mounting Even with both of us working it is emotionally and financially exhausting We are not below the poverty line but we still need support We hope the government recognises our struggle and expands access for families like oursThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoeveratOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params