Novo Nordisk Education Foundation and RNT medical college to establish India’s first ‘Sickle Cell Wellness Hub’

Novo Nordisk Education Foundation (NNEF), a non-profit organisation set up by Novo Nordisk India, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rabindranath Tagore (RNT) Medical College, Udaipur to establish a ‘Sickle Cell Wellness Hub’ dedicated to people living with sickle cell disease (SCD). The MoU was signed between Dr Vipin Mathur – Principal & Controller, RNT Medical College and Vikrant Shrotriya – Managing Trustee, Novo Nordisk Education Foundation. Also present at the occasion were Dr R L Suman – Medical Superintendent, MB Government Hospital, Udaipur and Dr Lakhan Poswal – Senior Professor & HOD, Pediatrics and Nodal Officer, SCD Centre of Excellence, RNT medical College, Udaipur.

This public-private partnership is aligned to the Government of India’s commitment of eradicating SCD from India by 2047 as part of its National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission 2023 [1]. According to the statement released, the Sickle Cell Wellness Hub will offer holistic care for people living with SCD, from economically constrained backgrounds, in the state of Rajasthan. This hub shall extend a host of services to any person living with SCD including timely diagnosis, access to care, constant monitoring, dietary adjustments and counselling for other self-care activities. The program aims at improving the existing infrastructure for SCD care to make it children-friendly, while strengthening capacity building initiatives among HCPs for better disease management. Additionally, regular educational and awareness camps shall be organised for people living with SCD and various caregivers including healthcare practitioners (HCPs) and primary level healthcare workers like Anaganwadi workers and auxiliary nurse midwives.

Appreciating the partnership, Vikrant Shrotriya said, “In India, 1.4 million adults and children live with sickle cell disease. Among them, the tribal communities are the worst affected due to poorer health conditions, greater burden of morbidity and mortality and limited access to healthcare services in comparison to the rest of the population. Our R&D team is devoted to find suitable solutions that enable people living with sickle cell disease to lead normal and happy lives. In the past, we have partnered with several state governments in various capacities to develop programs that help bring the qualitative and quantitative aspects of NCDs to the forefront within the society. We continue to support policy initiatives by various states and the Union government to benefit masses.”

Lauding the effort, Dr Vipin Mathur said, “Rajasthan alone faces a high burden of this disease. However, it is found that with good management of the disease, the severity of SCD can be curtailed. The overall aim is to enable access to affordable and quality health care for all SCD patients and to lower the prevalence through awareness, change of practices and screening interventions.”

Speaking about the initiative, Dr Lakhan Poswal said, “Sickle Cell Disease is a genetic haemoglobin disorder that requires lifelong management and contributes to significant morbidity and mortality among children. We are glad to collaborate with Novo Nordisk Education Foundation in our joint effort to tackle the SCD burden in Rajasthan by means of awareness, education and improved diagnosis.”

The long-term objective of this partnership is to promote early screening and improve the lives of people living with SCD by providing them a robust and sustainable healthcare infrastructure, improved diagnosis & clinical care and extending psychological and social support tools for self-care through education.

[1]:  Guidelines For National Programme For Prevention & Management Of Sickle Cell Disease. Available from: https://sickle.nhm.gov.in/uploads/english/OperationalGuidelines.pdf
(Accessed on 9 Aug 2024)