No sales tax would be levied on medication for thalassaemia and the equipment used for its treatment, said the Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit, at the third National Thalassaemia Conference held in New Delhi. The conference was organised by the Delhi government in association with the National Thalassaemia Welfare Society and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
Thalassaemia is an inherited blood disorder caused due to defective genes. People with this disease have abnormal blood cells which die off very fast causing anaemia in the child. This could reduce the age of the child to 3-5 years. Thalassaemia usually proves to be an expensive disease since frequent blood transfusions and costly medicines are required. 35 million Indians are reportedly carriers of the defective gene and an additional 12,000 affected babies are born every year. 5.6% of Delhi's population carries the defective gene according to a recent ICMR study.
It was announced at the conference that ten more hospitals would be opened in Delhi. The issue of inadequate services for thalassaemia treatment was also highlighted in the conference. Organisations working in the area of thalassaemia rehabilitation have been demanding that screening for thalassaemia be made mandatory among pregnant women. The government has been urged to open counselling cells for thalassaemia patients and to include it in the list of disabilities.
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