New Delhi, February 10 More than 6.83 crore individuals in tribal-dominated areas across the country have been screened for sickle cell anemia as of February 3, with nearly 2.38 lakh among them found to be infected with the disease, while over 19.32 lakh were identified as carriers, Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
Under the National Sickle Cell Anemia Elimination Mission (NSCAEM), screening among the targeted age group of 0-40 years is conducted at all health facilities in 17 affected tribal states for the diagnosis of Sickle Cell Disease, Patel said in a written reply.
"According to the Sickle Cell Disease portal, more than 6.83 crore screenings have been conducted in tribal-dominated areas of the country, including 60.83 lakh screenings in Odisha, as of February 3, 2026. A total of 2,37,981 individuals have been identified as diseased and 19,32,500 as carriers of Sickle Cell Disease," Patel said.
The Union health ministry has devised the cost norms for the establishment of Centres of Excellence on Sickle Cell Disease, funded by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA). The ministry has approved 17 such institutions in 15 states.