According to a report published in the International Journal of Biotechnology 2013, around 10,000 infants are born with Thalassemia every year in India. Despite this, the Central Government has not made any national policy concerned with prevention of Thalassemia, alleged the members of Nagarik Upbhokta Margdarshak Manch, Jabalpur. Writing a letter to the Union Health Minister, the Manch's members demanded to initiate Thalassemia Control Programme. Manch’s Regional convener, Manish Sharma informed that as per study report 2016, 15000 Thalassemia sufferers were registered in Madhya Pradesh.

 

This included 1277 in Indore division, 2466 in Ujjain division, 1705 in Jabalpur division, 1950 in Bhopal division, 1700 in Gwalior division and 1550 in Sagar division, respectively. Majority of the sufferers belonged to Schedule Caste, Schedule Tribe and Other Backward Caste from Mandla, Dindori, Rewa, Betul, Shahdol, Anuppur, Mandsaur and Jhabua district, Though Maharashtra, Punjab, West Bengal, Karnataka and Assam have State Thalassemia Control Programme but Madhya Pradesh is yet to take any initiative in this direction.

 

According to details given by the Public Health and Family Welfare Minister in the Vidhansabha, a project was approved in 2012-13 for control of Thalassemia in Madhya Pradesh following which labs, treatment, medicine and other activities were initiated in Badwani, Mandla, Mandsaur, Rewa and Shahdol. But after 2013-14 the project closed in lack of budget allotment. Manch's members demanded the government to take serious note over rising Thalassemia patients, deaths and initiate action to prevent and control the disease.