Govt can do little to check thalassaemia

rajkot: what can the gujarat government do to eradicate thalassaemia ? "not much," says health secretary s k nanda, considering it is a 'specialised field' that needs ngos to carry out mass screening and counselling. "thalassaemia cannot be eradicated. it can only be controlled", feels nanda and adds, "control cannot be restricted to the government sector for our primary and community health centres are not equipped to handle specialised areas like thalassaemia".but his statement has failed to take the steam out of the thalassaemia eradication drive launched by ngos who are now carrying out screening tests in jamnagar district. says project director dr sushmita dave, "the health secretary is right. the government has other problems to bother about like polio and malaria. but it will do us a lot of good if it introduces a legislation making chromatography (the thalassaemia screening test) a compulsory part of pre-natal check-ups." noted paediatrician manorama mehta, however, feels the government has a far greater role to play. "the government can start from the basics and introduce a chapter on thalassaemia in schools. every student in saurashtra must know what thalassaemia is and how it can be prevented." doctors and staff at the primary and community health centres should also be 'sensitised' about the issue to make the drive a success, she says. most importantly, manorama mehta believes the government can help in enlisting the support of social and religious bodies. "their involvement is vital because engagements and marriages in our society are generally conducted with their consent. they can insist on a 'thalassaemia screening test certificate' while matching horoscopes," dr mehta suggests. the government can generate awareness among the masses about the facilities for thalassaemia major patients in the state's medical college hospitals such as the fact that it offers free and regular blood transfusion for all registered cases. but dr mehta adds a word of caution here. "the government should ensure all regular donors at blood banks are vaccinated against hiv and hepatitis b. this is important because if a person donates blood during the three-month 'window period' he/ she will not test positive and can transmit the infection." this will prevent recurrence of the recent case at jamnagar where a thalassaemic child was infected with hiv reportedly following transfusion. dr sugandha doshi, head of the paediatrics department at the civil hospital here, admits the hospital does not have the ante-natal check-up equipment needed to diagnose if a foetus is thalassaemia major or not. at present, the nearest such facility is available at two private hospitals in mumbai. the installation of this equipment should be expedited in at least all district-level hospitals of saurashtra.