Thalassemia and sickle cell anemia in India is a huge burden with an estimated 100,000 patients with a β Thalassemia syndrome and around 150,0000 patients with sickle cell disease/trait, but few among them are optimally managed, and allogeneic stem cell transplant (BMT) is unaffordable for the majority of families.
A key aspect to manage Thalassemia is to promote education and awareness, which is a key to success. Government and non-government organizations have been working towards this goal for the last 3 to 4 decades but a nationwide collaborative effort in regard to the above, reaching all rural regions where almost 70% of the population resides is the need of the hour.
