On World Health Day experts call for Thalassemia-free India
The Statesman | 10 May 2026
Rotary International District 3291 marked World Thalassemia Day on Friday with a string of awareness and screening drives across the city, including camps at Howrah railway station and blood donation programmes at multiple locations.
Students of MCKV Institute of Engineering joined the outreach effort, which has so far covered nearly 200 educational institutions since July last year.
The day ended with a summit at the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, drawing doctors, NGO representatives, and community volunteers. Attendees signed a joint declaration committing to expanded screening and policy advocacy.
District Governor Dr Ramendu Homchadhuri said thalassaemia was preventable but largely incurable, and called for a SAARC-level collaborative initiative modelled on the global polio eradication drive, to include Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka alongside Indian states where the disease remains endemic.