31st July, 2023 –Underprivileged children suffering from Thalassemia will now receive treatment under the flagship initiative of CIL – “Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana.” Fortis Healthcare has joined hands with CIL in this initiative and a partnership has come into effect through an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding.) This was initiated on July 28th at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram. Present at the occasion were General Manager (CSR), Coal India, Smt. Renu Chaturvedi, Secretary, Thalassemics India, Smt. Shobha Tuli, Group COO, Fortis Healthcare, Shri. Anil Vinayak, Principal Director of Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplant, Fortis Gurugram, Dr Rahul Bhargava amongst other dignitaries form Fortis Healthcare. “Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana” was launched in 2017 by Coal India with the purpose of supporting the treatment of underprivileged children who were affected by Thalassemia. In the year 2020 Aplastic Anemia was also added as part of this programme.
The MOU states a financial assistance of upto 10 lakhs to be provided by Coal India to the eligible patients for the bone marrow transplants and the treatment for this would be done at Fortis Hospital Gurugram.
One of the largest and most comprehensive BMT centers in the country, equipped with an experienced team of approximately 20 doctors, who are skilled in treating all kinds of blood disorders and performing complicated Bone Marrow Transplants.
The BMT ICUs are 26 bedded in the Bone Marrow Transplant Centre in Gurgaon. This center has clocked a successful 1500+ Bone Marrow Transplants which include 250+ Haploidentical BMTs, 75+ Multiple Sclerosis BMTs, 100+ Sickle Cell Anemia BMTs, and100+ Thalassemia BMTs.
Group COO, Fortis Healthcare Shri Anil Vinayak, said, that India has earned the title of the Thalassemia capital of the world with a burden of 42 million thalassemia carriers and nearly 100,000 patients with a β thalassemia syndrome. It was imperative to address the burden of this disease and provide the right type of treatment. Fortis Healthcare has largely been working towards the treatment of thalassemia patients, in the rural areas as well and the collaboration with Coal India will benefit the underprivileged thalassemia patients and go a long way in reducing the burden of this disease.
Director (P&IR), Coal India Limited Shri Vinay Ranjan said that keeping in mind the challenges that patients with Thalassemia and Aplastic Anaemia face, this CSR initiative of Coal India Limited, under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India will help in the treatment of children affected by the two ailments. He expressed his happiness at the collaboration with Fortis Healthcare. The experienced team of doctors and the infrastructure of one of the largest BMT centers in the country will be very beneficial in the treatment of this disease.