Cuttack: A genetic laboratory will be set up at SCB Medical College and Hospital (SCBMCH) here for proper treatment and early detection of Thalassemia, an inherited blood disorder.
According to sources, the state government has sanctioned `1 crore for the mega plan under which equipment like DNA Sequencer and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machine will be installed at the state-of-the-art laboratory. The equipment will be procured through Orissa Medical Corporation, said sources, adding the lab will be opened adjacent to the bone marrow transplant centre of the premier healthcare facility.
The modern laboratory will help in pre-natal detection of Thalassemia, a disease characterised by abnormal haemoglobin production. According to a World Health Organisation survey report, about 2 to 5 per cent of India’s population is Thalassemic.
Doctors emphasise two kinds of techniques to check the mother-to-child transfer of the disease. One, instead of matching the zodiac signs of the couple before marriage, people should undertake blood tests so that birth of a Thalassemic child could be prevented. Two, genetic tests can also be conducted post 12th week of pregnancy to ascertain Thalassemic syndrome in the foetus which can merit a legal abortion.
This apart, bone marrow transplantation is widely used as a technique to treat Thalassmia. The method has been followed at SCB for the last two years and 46 people have undergone the novel clinical process.
However, a rise in cases of Thalassemia, sickle cell and blood cancer has become a cause of concern. While the Haematology department of SCBMCH receives about 22,000 cases every year, around 2,700 patients have been admitted to the indoor department.
Statistics reveals that there has been a five-fold increase in blood disorder cases at SCBMCH within a span of five years. This has necessitated expansion and modernisation of bone marrow transplantation centre at the Haematology department of SCBMCH.
Addressing a recent meet on World Thalassemia Day at the hospital, Haematology department head Rabindra Kumar Jena said, “The government incurs medical expenses of `2 lakh per Thalassemia patient every year. If a patient survives for 30 years, the expenditure is `60 lakh. So, a coordinated effort is essential to check the spread of Thalassemia as the dreaded disease also affects the economy as a whole.”
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