New Delhi, July 29 (IANS) A total of 4,361 patients have been registered as thalassemics in the country in 2025, of which 2,579 are under the age of 12, the government informed the Parliament during the ongoing Monsoon session on Tuesday.

Thalassemia is a severe inherited blood disorder, passed from parents to children.

The disorder occurs when the body doesn’t make enough of a protein called haemoglobin — an important part of red blood cells — forcing the need for blood transfusions every fortnight.

In a written reply, Anupriya Patel, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, detailed the number of thalassemia patients registered in the country during the last three years.

“From 806 total diseased thalassemia patients in 2023, the number sporadically rose to 2,576 in 2024 and 4,361 in 2025,” Patel stated.

The cases of the blood disorder have also risen among children aged under 12.

“In 2023, there were just 360 children under 12 registered with the disease, in 2024 the number jumped to 892, and 2,579 in 2025,” the Minister noted. All the cases were registered in 18 states.

Further, in view of the rising cases of the genetic disease, the government in 2023 added a thalassemia module in the national Sickle Cell Portal to enable states to enter the records of existing patients.

“Monitoring and follow-up are done, and the data of thalassemia for screening is entered regularly on the National Portal,” Patel said.

Other measures rolled out by the government to curb thalassemia cases include support to states under the National Health Mission (NHM).

The Centre provides support to states for the prevention and management of thalassemia at public healthcare facilities, provision of blood bank facilities, day care centres, medicines, and lab services.

“The Ministry, in association with Coal India Limited (CIL), is also implementing a scheme, namely Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana (TBSY), wherein financial assistance up to Rs 10 lakh is provided to eligible patients for Bone Marrow transplants (BMT) from CIL Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds,” Patel said.

The scheme, which provides BMT in 17 empanelled hospitals across the country, has so far helped more than 700 children with life-saving transplants. Most of these children are now leading healthy and normal lives.

India is the thalassemia capital of the world. Every eighth thalassemia patient in the world lives in India. And yearly, about 10,000-20,000 new thalassemia majors are born.

–IANS

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