The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu graced the International Sickle Cell Day commemoration at Omkareshwar, Madhya Pradesh today (June 19, 2026). Speaking on the occasion, the President said that commemoration of the International Sickle Cell Day is a meaningful effort towards addressing a significant challenge in the health sector.
She was happy to note that the target of screening under the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission was achieved ahead of schedule. She said that screening of seven crore people, ranging from newborns to those up to 40 years of age, is not a small achievement; it is one of the largest initiatives for genetic disease screening in the world.
The President said that it is the result of screening conducted in mission mode that sickle cell disease has been detected in approximately 2.5 lakh people so far, and over 20 lakh carriers of the disease have also been identified. She underlined the need to understand the challenges posed by such a large number of carriers.
She appreciated the Central and State governments for not only identifying patients and carriers of sickle cell disease but also for ensuring their proper healthcare. She said that the state of Madhya Pradesh has made an invaluable contribution in addressing the issue of sickle cell disease by setting a record for screening over four lakh women under the "Swasth Nari, Sashakt Parivar Abhiyan" held from September 17 to October 2, 2025.
The President noted that Madhya Pradesh government launched the "Sickle Mitra" initiative last year on the International Sickle Cell Day. Under this initiative, representatives from government and non-government institutions and voluntary organisations, as well as NCC cadets, have been trained to raise awareness and provide assistance to patients.
She expressed confidence that through the collective strength and active engagement of all states, we will succeed in achieving our national goal of eradicating sickle cell-related diseases from the country well before the year 2047.