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GOVERNMENT OFINDIA
MINISTRYOFHEALTHAND FAMILYWELFARE
DEPARTMENT OFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 4607
TO BE ANSWERED ON20THMARCH, 2026
AVAILABILITYOFMEDICINES FORSICKLE CELLDISEASE IN TRIBALAREAS
4607. SHRISHYAMKUMAR DAULATBARVE:
Will the Ministerof HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFAREbe pleasedtostate:
(a) whether the Government is implementing schemes under the National Sickle Cell
Anaemia Elimination Mission for screening, treatment and prevention of Sickle Cell Disease
intribal areasof the country, if so, the detailsthereof;
(b) the percentageof the totaltribal populationscreenedso far andout of them the numberof
persons identified as Sickle Cell carriers and Sickle Cell Disease patients along with
State/UnionTerritory-wise details;
(c) whether the Government is aware of the shortages of Hydroxyurea and Folic Acid at
Primary Health Centres in tribal-dominated areas including the Vidarbha region of the State
of Maharashtra, if so, the details thereof along with the steps taken/proposed to be taken by
the Government toaddress the same; and
(d) whether the Government is considering any proposal to provide financial assistance or
pension to tribal families affected by Sickle Cell Disease or rendered unable to work due to
the disease andif so, the details thereof?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OFSTATE IN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILY
WELFARE
(SMT.ANUPRIYAPATEL)
(a) to (d). Under National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission (NSCAEM), screenings
in the targeted age group of 0-40 years are conducted at all health facilities from District
Hospitals (DH) upto Ayushman Arogya Mandir (AAM) level in affected 17 tribal states for
diagnosis of SickleCell Disease (SCD).
As reportedby States onSCD portal,as on15.03.2026, more than 6.97crore screenings have
been conducted in tribal dominated areas of the country, and a total of 2,40,279 individuals
have been identified as diseased and 19,65,040 as carriers of SCD. State-wise number of
tribal population screened and the number of persons identified as Sickle Cell carriers and
SickleCell Diseased, isat Annexure.National Free Drugs Service initiative and Free diagnostic Service has been rolled out to
ensure availability of essential drugs and diagnostic facilities and reduce out of pocket
expenditure of the patients visiting public healthfacilities.
Hydroxyurea hasbeenincluded inNHM Essential Drugs List at Sub-HealthCentres, Primary
Health Centres (PHC)/ Urban PHC, Community Health Centres (CHC) and DHs to address
the issue of access to medicine.To monitor the drug procurement and ensure the availability
of essential medicinesinpublic healthfacilities,Drugs andVaccineDistribution Management
System (DVDMS) has been launched by the Govt. of India. Public Health’ & ‘Hospitals’ are
State subjects. This Ministry provides technical and financial support to the States/UTs
including Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, for conducting screenings and procurement of
drugs including Hydroxyurea and Folic Acid for sickle cell anaemia, based on the proposals
receivedinthe form of Programme ImplementationPlans(PIPs) underNHM.
Patients living with SCD are provided with the following services/ facilities for improving
theirqualityof life through AAM-Sub HealthCentres(SHC)andAAM- PHCs:
• Follow-upof diseased individualsat frequent intervals.
• Counseling regardinglifestyle management,pre-marriage andpre-nataldecisions.
• Nutritional supplementationsupport through distribution of folic acidtablets.
• Conductingyoga andwellness sessions.
• Management of crisis symptoms andreferral tohigherfacilities.
State PIPapprovals towards screening for Blood Disorders under NHM from F.Y. 2022-23 to
F.Y.2025-26 inthe countryisasfollows:
(Rs. inLakhs)
FinancialYear AllIndia
2022-23 28,991.84
2023-24 44,855.32
2024-25 44,754.53
2025-26 53,904.10
*****Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a) to (d) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 4607
for replyon 20.03.2026
Annexure
State-wise number of tribal population screened, number of persons identified as Sickle Cell
carriersandSickle Cell Diseased, ason15.03.2026
S.No. StateName Numberof NumbersofSickle NumbersofSickle
people Cellcarriers CellDiseased
Screened
1 CHHATTISGARH 1,73,52,532 3,41,628 27,850
2 MADHYA
PRADESH 1,30,97,122 2,39,473 38,575
3 MAHARASHTRA 1,00,33,422 2,12,845 28,307
4 GUJARAT 80,23,780 5,43,808 30,310
5 ODISHA 62,71,477 5,61,357 1,03,117
6 RAJASTHAN 37,06,695 8,453 2,886
7 JHARKHAND 27,88,493 4,347 2,331
8 WESTBENGAL 25,00,170 3,701 890
9 ANDHRA
PRADESH 14,89,997 21,765 2,279
10 ASSAM 11,82,605 1,574 331
11 TELANGANA 11,37,233 7,482 579
12 UTTAR
PRADESH 7,64,871 85 33
13 TAMILNADU 4,51,564 8,738 711
14 KARNATAKA 3,57,266 4,532 580
15 BIHAR 2,40,334 1 9
16 UTTARAKHAND 1,53,670 69 6
17 KERALA 1,77,959 5,182 1,485
Total 6,97,29,190 19,65,040 2,40,279
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