Thalassemia centres to come up in Indore’s Khajrana Ganesh Mandir & Ranjit Hanuman Mandir

In a unique step toward ensuring proper treatment for thalassemia patients, the Indore District Administration will be setting up thalassemia centres at the city’s well-known temples, Khajrana Ganesh Mandir and Ranjit Hanuman Mandir. It is a known fact that treatment for this life-threatening disease is expensive for most sufferers. Considering this, the administration will be providing the patients with free treatment, and facilities like blood transmission and medicines will be made available.

An app is also being developed on which children with thalassemia will be able to register themselves with the centres. The app will be available for both Android and iOS. Following registration, they will be able to download a unique ID card that will help them get the free services at these centres. In addition to this, a data bank will be created that will be helpful for the campaign’s success.

As per the officials, these thalassemia centres will be manned by special doctors and paramedic staff. A nodal officer (Abhay Bedekar) has also been appointed to ensure the availability of essential medicines. Patients from all over the state will be able to get free treatment at these centres. In order to raise funds, donation boxes will also be installed at both locations.

The initiative is a joint effort of the district administration, social organisations and public representatives. Vaishnav Trust, that will be supporting the campaign, will be responsible for running a blood transfusion centre for children with Thalassemia. The centres will work in collaboration with the Red Cross to ensure a supply of blood. Similar to the medicines and other treatments like chelation therapy, the transfusion process will also be entirely free of cost.

Q - Why is treatment for thalassemia expensive?

A - Treatment for the thalassemia includes complex procedures like blood transfusion, chelation therapy and stem cell/bone marrow transplants. Blood transfusion, most common treatment for thalassemics, is a frequent procedure and one unit of blood can cost ₹500 or over. Even though the government mandates that these patients get free transfusions, people turn to private facilities to avoid the risk of HIV and other intravenous infections. Similarly, drugs are also expensive and require frequent repurchasing.

Q - Why are most thalassemia patients children?

A - Thalassemia is an inherited disorder detected early on by doctors. Given the high risk to life it poses, treatment also starts at an early age.

Q - How will the campaign help thalassemics?

A - The initiative will make treatment more accessible and inexpensive for the patients. The collaboration between the govt. and non-profit trusts will ensure quality treatment.

Q - How to register with the campaign?

A - Patients will be able to register online with the campaign once the application is launched. The unique IDs that will be created on the application will be used at the centres for verifying registration and eventually seeking treatment.

Q - What is the capacity of each centre?

A - No capacity has been quoted by the officials as of now. However, the number of patients getting treatment will depend on the available resources.