President Droupadi Murmu on Friday, 19 June attended the International Sickle Cell Day commemoration at Omkareshwar, Madhya Pradesh, lauding India's National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission as one of the largest genetic disease screening drives in the world. The event marked a significant milestone in the country's push to eradicate sickle cell disease ahead of the 2047 national target.

Screening Target Achieved Ahead of Schedule

Addressing the gathering, President Murmu highlighted that the mission's ambitious goal of screening 7 crore individuals — covering newborns through those up to 40 years of age — had been accomplished before the stipulated deadline. She described this as a reflection of India's serious commitment to public health at scale.

The mission has so far detected approximately 2.5 lakh patients and identified more than 20 lakh carriers of sickle cell disease. The President underscored that the sheer scale of these numbers demands sustained healthcare support and deeper community understanding of the condition.

Madhya Pradesh's Standout Contribution

President Murmu specifically praised Madhya Pradesh for its proactive role, citing the record screening of over 4 lakh women during the 'Swasth Woman, Sashakt Parivar Abhiyan' held between 17 September and 2 October 2025. She described the campaign as a model for state-level intervention in combating genetic disorders.

The President also highlighted the 'Sickle Mitra' initiative, launched by the Madhya Pradesh government on the previous International Sickle Cell Day. Under this programme, representatives from government and non-government institutions, voluntary organisations, and NCC cadets have been trained to raise awareness and provide assistance to patients in affected communities.

Centre and States Commended for Joint Action

President Murmu commended both the Central government and state administrations for going beyond mere identification of patients and carriers, ensuring that proper healthcare infrastructure and support systems are in place for those affected. This comes amid a broader national effort to address tribal and rural populations disproportionately affected by sickle cell disease in states such as Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand.

Notably, sickle cell anaemia has historically received limited policy attention relative to its disease burden, making the mission-mode approach a significant policy shift. The Omkareshwar event was thus both a progress report and a public reaffirmation of political will at the highest level.

Road to 2047: What Comes Next

President Murmu expressed confidence that the collective momentum across states — driven by community engagement, trained volunteers, and government coordination — would enable India to achieve its goal of eliminating sickle cell-related diseases well before 2047. With screening largely complete, the next phase will test the system's capacity to deliver long-term care and counselling to the 2.5 lakh detected patients and their families.