Gandhinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the “National Sickle Cell Anemia Eradication Mission-2047” from Madhya Pradesh on July 1st. The goal of this mission is to eradicate sickle cell anemia from the entire country by the year 2047 as the country enters the golden age of independence.

The Prime Minister will address the entire country through a virtual medium during the Nationwide Sickle Cell Anemia Eradication Mission event. State Health Minister Rishikesh Patel will attend the program at the Health and Wellness Center of Motasada village in Danta Taluka of Banaskantha District. The program will be aired live at various health and wellness centers in the 14 districts with tribal population, from Ambaji to Umargam, where various ministers of the state government, local MPs, MLAs, office bearers, and officials will watch it online.

Under this mission, approximately 7 crore people in the age group of 0 to 40 in the country will be screened, and treatment for sickle cell anemia will be made available. The sickle cell anemia eradication campaign will also be initiated in 14 districts in Gujarat, with a special focus on the tribal population districts of the state.

It is worth mentioning that sickle cell anemia is caused by hereditary hemoglobin deficiency. The then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendrabhai Modi, started the Sickle Cell Anemia Eradication Mission in Gujarat in 2006, which achieved remarkable success in the state. In the 14 tribal districts of Gujarat, the tribal population is routinely screened for the diagnosis of sickle cell anemia. So far, around 97 lakh tribal individuals have been screened, resulting in the detection and treatment of more than 7.11 lakh sickle cell trait cases and 31 thousand sickle cell disease cases. It is important to note that Gujarat was awarded the Prime Minister’s Excellence Award in 2011 for its outstanding performance under the Sickle Cell Anemia Eradication Mission, which has been operating in the state since 2006. DeshGujarat