Shahdol: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday (July 1) said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a big plan has been laid out to eliminate Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). Speaking at the launch of the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission in Madhya Pradesh’s Shahdol, the Union Health Minister said,
Under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, a big plan has been laid out to eliminate this disease after years of research and hard work. The previous governments could have also done it but due to a lack of willingness on their part, it wasn’t done.
PM Modi on Saturday launched the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission during an event held in Shahdol. He also distributed sickle cell genetic status cards to the beneficiaries.
The National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission was announced in the Union Budget 2023. The Mission aims to address the pressing health challenges posed by sickle cell disease, particularly among the tribal population.
The launch marks a crucial milestone in the Government’s ongoing efforts to eliminate sickle cell disease as a public health problem by 2047.
This will be implemented in 278 districts of 17 high-focused states in the country namely Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, and Uttarakhand.
During the launch of the Mission, PM Modi also kickstarted the distribution of about 3.57 crore Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) cards in Madhya Pradesh. PM Modi said,
The effort of our government is to reduce the disease, as well as to reduce the expenditure on the disease. Our government has brought the Ayushman Bharat Yojana to reduce the expenditure for the poor. The Ayushman Card will guarantee the poor free medical checkups worth Rs 5 lakh.
He further added that today, in Madhya Pradesh 1 crore people have received the Ayushman Bharat Card.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – theLGBTQ population,indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the currentCOVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water,SanitationandHygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fightmalnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health,adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues likeair pollution,waste management,plastic ban,manual scavengingand sanitation workers andmenstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India wheretoiletsare used andopen defecation free (ODF)status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched byPrime Minister Narendra Modiin 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
