Healthy Beginning and Hopeful Future
Pune | April 7, 2025
On the auspicious occasion of World Health Day, celebrated globally on April 7, a significant step towards a healthier India was taken in Pune. On the eve of this important day, April 6, 2025—also the sacred day of Ram Navami—the Janakalyan Samiti of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Maharashtra Prant, along with the Janakalyan Blood Bank Parivar, Bharat, launched the impactful campaign: “Thalassemia-Mukt Bharat Abhiyan” (A Thalassemia-Free India Movement).
The event, held at Sevabhavan, Pune, brought together representatives from 125 Thalassemia Warrior organizations across Maharashtra. From morning till evening, medical experts, volunteers, and social workers engaged in intensive discussions about the technical and social aspects of thalassemia, focusing on its prevention, early diagnosis, and advanced treatment. One of the major resolutions passed was the formation of district-level Thalassemia Committees. These local bodies will be instrumental in conducting awareness drives and organizing impactful community programs on World Thalassemia Day—May 8, 2025.
The economic burden of thalassemia treatment is immense. For basic annual medical care, a patient requires around ₹3 lakh per year. Permanent treatment like bone marrow transplantation can cost as high as ₹30 lakh, and the most advanced gene therapy treatment may exceed ₹16 crore per patient. In contrast, public awareness and preventive measures, such as premarital screening, can save lives and drastically reduce healthcare costs. Hence, citizens are humbly urged to join hands in the upcoming Thalassemia Awareness Campaign on May 8.
This year, World Health Day 2025 is celebrated under the inspiring theme:
“Healthy Beginning and Hopeful Future.”
In alignment with this message, the youth of India are encouraged to take a pledge for a healthy marital life by undergoing a thalassemia screening blood test before marriage. If found to be a thalassemia carrier, individuals are urged to avoid marrying another carrier to prevent the possibility of passing the condition to the next generation. This small, conscious decision can make a monumental difference in building a thalassemia-free society.
The campaign calls for a collective effort—from individuals, families, and communities—to work towards a Thalassemia-Free India. It is not just a medical mission but a moral responsibility towards future generations.
For more information and to become a part of this noble initiative, visit:
🔗 https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DKa4UWoNt/
By:
Prof. Dr. Dilip Balakrishna Wani (MD, Pathology)
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National President, Janakalyan Blood Bank Parivar, Bharat
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Former Head of Department, Blood Bank Science, Bharati Vidyapeeth Medical College, Pune
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Pathologist, Medicare Chain of Pathology Laboratories
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Admin, Facebook group: History of Lad Saka (Shakhiy) Wani Samaj (with 1.5 lakh members)
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