The Union government will offer funds for the development of the state’s sickle cell research centre at Indira Gandhi Medical College at Nagpur. The centre will be attached to medical and pathology department of the Medical College. The main aim to develop this research centre is to treat the sickle cell patients, ensure the regular treatment and provide counselling for sickle cell sufferers. Sickle Cell disease is a genetic blood disorder which predominantly exists among the tribal communities and certain other distinct groups in different states of the country.

A sickle cell disease person suffers from anaemia throughout his/her life due to red blood cells taking a sickle-like shape which reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of the cells and hence creating life-long problems of severe joint pain, breathlessness etc. At present, various facilities like sickle cell disease diagnosis, treatment, counselling, research etc are happening at scattered places.

The centre will have a diagnostic and a research centre where sickle cell patients can be tested and free diagnostic facility will be provided. The research centre will research on how the sickle sufferers lifestyle can be made better.

Dr Pravin Shingare, director of Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER), Maharashtra, said that Dr Shingada, a researcher, will be provisionally appointed as the incharge of the centre and other staff members will be appointed in consultation wtih the Government of India.  There will be other two centres one at Sassona Hospital, Pune and Grant Medical College at Mumbai.

The Sassoon Hospital is basically a tribal research centre where researchers study many disorders which are common in tribes and one of the common disorder among the tribes is sickle cell disease. About 50 percent of the work done in the tribal research centre of Sassoon Hospital is related to sickle cell disease. Grant Medical College is mainly the diagnostic and treatment centre for sickle cell patients. The college will also have research centre where researchers examine the blood sample from the tribal areas especially from the areas like Thane, Dahanu and Murbad as there are many patients coming from that area, he added.