By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR/NEW DELHI: BJD Lok Sabha MP from Odisha’s Kendrapara Parliamentary segment and popular film star , Anubhav Mohanty on Sunday announced to launch a pilot project on Sickle Cell Disease in the State.
Odisha is most affected; the average frequency of SCD in India is 4.3% whereas it is 9.1 % in Odisha with 5.35 lakh of the population affected by the disease. Kendrapara MP Mohanty is presently National Brand Ambassador for the Eradication Of Sickle Cell Drive In India.#SickleCellAwareness.
Keeping the ground realities in Odisha, Kendrapara MP Mohanty has announced to launch this pilot project soon. “I then and there decided to start a pilot project in my state and do whatever possible to save my tribal brothers and sisters of my district, #Kendrapada dying from SCD. I want to see it happen now as my top priority, won’t allow the trust they have on me shaken. I seek blessings from my Leader, Naveen Patnaik Sir to set this as a benchmark for our Nation. Support of our Health & Family Welfare Department, Government of Odisha, #DistrictAdministrationKendrapara will be very much needed for this genuine step,” MP Mohanty wrote in his Facebook timeline.
MP Mohanty’s such noble idea came after he met Dr Das, a son of Odisha, a Clinical Geneticist by profession with 30 years experience from AIIMS, Delhi and presently Executive Director of a non-profitable NGO called Sahbhagita International Foundation.
“People say life is full of surprises. I realized today when I met Dr Das, a son of soil, a clinical geneticist by profession with 30 years experience from AIIMS, Delhi and presently Executive Director of a non-profitable NGO called Sahbhagita International Foundation who told me that is unheard of. I got stunned when I heard from him that #SickleCellDisease, a genetic disease of blood that is predominantly present in tribal population of #India can be eradicated using a highly advanced biotechnology that made available in the world only recently,”MP Mohanty said.
“I feel this has come as blessing to brothers and sisters of our tribal communities to their age old health problem that used to kill half of child with disease before their first birthday and those who survive face constant threat to life with no cure available,”MP Mohanty added.
