**Executive Summary**
This document is an answer provided by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2308 on February 13, 2026. The question pertains to the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission, including screening numbers, identified carriers and patients, Centres of Excellence, financial assistance, and progress on screening and treatment. Data is current as of February 3, 2026, and the financial year mentioned is 2022-23 to 2025-26.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission (NSCAEM) Screenings:**
* Screenings are conducted for individuals in the 0-40 age group at all health facilities in 17 affected tribal states.
* Over 6.83 crore screenings conducted as of 03.02.2026.
* 2,37,981 individuals identified as diseased.
* 19,32,500 individuals identified as carriers of SCD.
* State-wise details of screenings, carriers, patients, and Genetic Status Cards distribution are provided in Annexure-I.
* **Centres of Excellence (CoE):**
* Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has devised cost norms for establishing CoE on SCD, funded by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA).
* MoTA has approved 17 CoE in 15 states.
* State-wise details of CoE are provided in Annexure-II.
* **Financial Assistance:**
* State Programme Implementation Plan (SPIP) approvals for screening Blood Disorders under the National Health Mission (NHM) from F.Y. 2022-23 to F.Y. 2025-26:
* 2022-23: ₹28,991.84 Lakhs
* 2023-24: ₹44,855.32 Lakhs
* 2024-25: ₹44,754.53 Lakhs
* 2025-26: ₹53,904.10 Lakhs
* **Patient Services:**
* Patients with SCD receive follow-ups, counseling, nutritional support, yoga/wellness sessions, and crisis management/referral services through Ayushman Arogya Mandir (AAM).
* Hydroxyurea is included in the NHM Essential Drugs List to improve access to medicine.
* The Ministry provides technical and financial support for screening and drug procurement, based on PIPs under NHM.
**Impact Analysis**
* **Individuals/Citizens in affected tribal states:**
* **Impact:** Have access to screenings for Sickle Cell Disease at various health facilities; receive follow-up care, counseling, nutritional support, and treatment if diagnosed.
* **Action Required:** Participate in screening programs and utilize available support services if diagnosed.
* **State Governments/UTs:**
* **Impact:** Receive financial and technical support from the Central Government for screening, treatment, and drug procurement related to Sickle Cell Disease.
* **Action Required:** Submit proposals (PIPs) under NHM to request technical and financial assistance; implement screening programs and provide necessary treatment facilities.
* **Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA):**
* **Impact:** Funds the establishment of Centres of Excellence (CoE) for Sickle Cell Disease treatment.
* **Action Required:** Continue to approve CoE proposals and allocate necessary funding.
* **Health Facilities (District Hospitals to Ayushman Arogya Mandir):**
* **Impact:** Responsible for conducting screenings, providing patient services, and offering counseling.
* **Action Required:** Conduct screenings for Sickle Cell Disease and provide required patient services.
Key Entities Referenced
National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission (NSCAEM): A national program for screening and managing Sickle Cell Disease (SCD).
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: The primary ministry responsible for administering the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission.
Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA): A ministry involved in funding Centers of Excellence for SCD treatment.
National Health Mission (NHM): A broader mission under which State Programme Implementation Plans (SPIPs) related to blood disorders screening are approved and implemented.
Centres of Excellence (CoE): Designated centers for specialized treatment of Sickle Cell Disease.
GOVERNMENT OFINDIA
MINISTRYOFHEALTHAND FAMILYWELFARE
DEPARTMENT OFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 2308
TOBE ANSWERED ON 13th FEBRUARY, 2026
NATIONALSICKLE CELLANAEMIAELIMINATIONMISSION
2308. SHRIANANTANAYAK:
SHRIPPCHAUDHARY:
SHRIALOK SHARMA:
SHRIVIJAYKUMAR DUBEY:
SHRIRAMESH AWASTHI:
SHRIPRADEEPKUMAR SINGH:
SHRIPRAVEENPATEL:
SHRIMANOJ TIWARI:
SMT.VIJAYLAKSHMI DEVI:
DR. MANNALALRAWAT:
SHRIBHOJRAJ NAG:
SMT.SANJNAJATAV:
SMT.MAHIMAKUMARIMEWAR:
SHRITAPIRGAO:
SMT.SMITAUDAYWAGH:
SHRIJAGDAMBIKAPAL:
SMT.APARAJITASARANGI:
SHRIGODAM NAGESH:
SHRIBALABHADRAMAJHI:
DR. NISHIKANTDUBEY:
DR. BHOLASINGH:
SHRIMANISH JAISWAL:
SHRIDAMODAR AGRAWAL:
SHRIANILFIROJIYA:
SHRIVIJAYBAGHEL:
SHRIKALI CHARAN SINGH:
SHRICHANDRAPRAKASH JOSHI:
DR. HEMANTVISHNU SAVARA:
SHRINABACHARAN MAJHI:
Will the Ministerof HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFAREbe pleasedtostate:
(a) the total numberof individualsscreened for SickleCell Disease (SCD) underthe National
SickleCell Anaemia Elimination up toDecember2025,State/UT-wise anddistrict-wise;
(b) the number of individuals identified as "Carriers" (Sickle Cell Trait) and "Patients"(Sickle Cell Disease) respectively, based on the said screenings, State/UT-wise anddistrict
-wise;
(c) whether the Government has achieved the target of screening seven crore individuals by
the endof the year2025 andif so, the detailsthereof,alongwith the numberof individuals
whohave beenissued SickleCell Genetic Status Cards, State/UT-wise anddistrict-wise;
(d) the number of fully functional Centres of Excellence (CoE) for the treatment of the said
disease inseventeenhighprevalenceStatesasof December 2025,State/UT-wise;
(e)the total financialassistance providedbythe Government for the procurementof Point-of-
Care (PoC) testing kits in tribal-dominated districts up to December 2025, district-wise;
and
(f) the progress of screening coverage,referral facilities andavailabilityof treatmentservices,
State/UT-wise?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OFSTATE IN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILY
WELFARE
(SMT.ANUPRIYAPATEL)
(a) to (f): 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 Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). As per SCD portal, more than 6.83 crore screenings
have been conducted in tribal dominated areas of the country, as on 03.02.2026. A total of
2,37,981 individualshave beenidentified as diseased and 19,32,500as carriersof SCD,as on
03.02.2026. State-wise total number of individuals screened, the number of individuals
identified as "Carriers" and "Patients" and number of Genetic Status Cards distributed, as on
03.02.2026,isat Annexure-I.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has devised the cost norms for establishment of
Centresof Excellence(CoE) onSCDfunded by Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) invarious
states. 17 COE in 15 states have been approved by MoTA. State-wise details of CoE are
enclosedasAnnexure-II.
State Programme Implementation Plan (SPIP) approvals towards screening for Blood
Disorders under National Health Mission (NHM) from F.Y. 2022-23 to F.Y. 2025-26 in the
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
Patients living with SCD are provided with the following services/ facilities for improving
theirqualityof life through AAMs:• Follow-upof diseased individualsat frequent intervals.
• Counseling regardinglifestyle management,pre-marriage andpre-nataldecisions.
• Nutritional supplementation support through distribution of folic acidtablets.
• Conductingyoga andwellness sessions.
• Management of crisis symptoms andreferral tohigherfacilities.
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. This Ministry provides technical and financial support to the
States/UTs for conducting screenings andprocurementof drugs for sickle cellanaemia, based
onthe proposals receivedinthe form of PIPsunderNHM.
*****Annexure referredtoinreplytoparts (a)to(f) of LokSabhaUnstarred Question No. 2308
for replyon 13.02.2026
Annexure-I
State-wise total number of individuals screened, the number of individuals identified as
"Carriers" and"Patients" andnumberof Genetic StatusCards distributed, ason03.02.2026
S.No. StateName Total No. of No. of No. of Genetic
Screenings Carrier Diseased Status Cards
conducted Distributed
1 Chhattisgarh 1,70,30,846 3,38,774 27,600 1,02,90,081
2 Madhya Pradesh 1,29,92,449 2,37,473 37,885 1,13,61,858
3 Maharashtra 93,79,701 2,06,967 27,719 21,46,504
4 Gujarat 80,05,852 5,41,088 30,883 79,15,506
5 Odisha 60,83,323 5,43,015 1,01,865 30,05,123
6 Rajasthan 37,06,689 8,453 2,885 17,11,440
7 Jharkhand 27,83,758 3,888 2,314 2,943
8 West Bengal 24,81,557 3,697 890 381
9 Andhra Pradesh 14,79,777 21,679 2,272 4,78,186
10 Assam 11,72,328 1,522 330 1,34,982
11 Telangana 11,27,762 7,445 568 4,44,393
12 Uttar Pradesh 7,64,879 86 38 4,41,639
13 Tamil Nadu 4,40,276 8,685 656 3,98,385
14 Karnataka 3,55,449 4,543 578 4,241
15 Bihar 2,40,331 1 9 63
16 Uttarakhand 1,53,668 69 6 1,51,507
17 Kerala 1,77,314 5,115 1,483 20,234
Total 6,83,75,959 19,32,500 2,37,981 3,85,07,466Annexure referredtoinreplytoparts (a)to(f) of LokSabhaUnstarred Question No. 2308
for replyon 13.02.2026
Annexure-II
State-wise detailsof Centres of Excellence(CoE) established
S.N State InstitutionName
o.
1 Telangana NizamsInstitute of Medical Science
2 Uttarakhand AIIMS Rishikesh, Uttarakhand
3 Kerala Kozhikode Medical College, Kerala
4 Andhra Pradesh King GeorgeHospital, Vishakhapatnam, Andhra
Pradesh
5 Jharkhand AIIMS Deoghar
6 Maharashtra AIIMS Nagpur
7 Chhattisgarh AIIMS Raipur
Mysore Medical College & Research
8 Karnataka
Institute, Karnataka
9 Madhya Pradesh MGM Medical College,Indore
Bhopal Memorial Hospital andResearch Centre
10 Madhya Pradesh
(BMHRC)
11 Assam Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh, Assam
12 Gujarat NewCivil Hospital andMedical College,Surat
13 Odisha SCB Medical College Hospital, Cuttack,Odisha
14 Rajasthan RNTMedical College,Rajasthan
15 Tamil Nadu Institute of Child HealthandHospital
for Children–Madras Medical College,
Tamil Nadu
16. Andhra Pradesh AIIMS Mangalagiri
17 West Bengal N.R.S.Medical College
*****