June 18th, 2011, Bangalore: HealthCare Global Enterprises Ltd. (HCG), South Asia’s largest cancer care network, on the eve of world sickle cell day opened the first sickle cell clinic in Karnataka, on June 18th, 2011.

The sickle cell clinic was inaugurated by Dr. B S AjaiKumar, Chairman, HCG. He said, “This sickle cell clinic is the first in Karnataka. It will offer patient care, education, screening & counselling for afflicted patients & families. This initiative will help in the early detection of the disease & treatment.”

Dr. Intezar Mehdi, Consultant Paediatric Hematologist, HCG, said, “Sickle Cell is the first molecular disease known to the mankind for over 100 years now. 50% of the world sickle cell population resides in India. In India, the disease is especially present in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chattisgarh, Orissa, Tamilnadu, Kerala and Karnataka. Approximately 3.2 million population, belongs to these high risk communities.”

Stressing on the awareness he further added “Awareness is the key, because it is a genetic disorder. Genetic Counselling, premarital screening, antenatal diagnosis, newborn screening would be the key for effective management of the sickle cell disease.”

In the year 2008, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution which determines sickle cell disease as a public health problem and one of the world’s foremost genetic disease, requiring heightened awareness and activism, diagnosis and management. The result of the resolution was that June 19th was declared as World Sickle Cell to increase awareness of the condition all over the world.