Blood disorder patients can avail disability certificates at thalassemia control units

kolkata: Patients suffering from thalassemia, haemophilia and sickle cell diseases are no longer required to visit the city hospitals and appear before a specific committee to get a 'disability certificate' as the state Health department has simplified the process of issuance of the certificates.

These patients will now be able to avail 'physically challenged' certificates from the local thalassemia control unit. State Health department on Thursday issued a directive in this regard. The RPWD Act 2016 had recognised persons with blood disorders (Thalassemia, Hemophilia and Sickle Cell Disease) as 'persons with disabilities' under the Act. Those with 40 per cent and above disability are given a Disability Certificate.

In Bengal, there are around 60,000 thalassemia patients while around 1,500 patients are affected with haemophilia. The number of patients suffering from sickle cell disease in Bengal would be around 1 lakh. These patients normally avail free-of-cost treatment from nearby district or sub-divisional hospitals or medical colleges. But they need to come down to Calcutta Medical College and Hospital and NRS Medical College and Hospital for a 'disability certificate'. But there are around 36 thalassemia control units across the state, which are situated at all the sub-divisional hospitals, district hospitals and also medical colleges in the districts. The certificates will now be available at the local units and the patients will no longer require to travel all the way to Kolkata.

In Thalassemia, body cannot make enough haemoglobin or makes defective red blood cells (RBC) due to imbalance in alpha and beta genes in haemoglobin while in case of hemophilia, there is a deficiency of one of the factors necessary for coagulation of blood. This leads to excessive bleeding.

In case of sickle cell diseases, normal RBCs are smooth surfaced, enabling them to change their shape to flow through small blood vessels. Under certain conditions RBCs containing hemoglobin become rigid, elongated, and sickle shaped.

These sickle-shaped cells are not flexible, causing a blockage of blood flow.