Eight centres of excellence set up to treat rare diseases
The Hindu
IGICH, Bengaluru, is the nearest such facility for patients from Kerala
The Union Government has set up eight centres of excellence to treat those diagnosed with rare diseases such as thalassemia, haemophilia, and sickle cell anaemia. There is also a Central portal for crowd funding and voluntary donations.
For patients from Kerala, Bengaluru-based Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health (IGICH) will be the nearest such centre. The Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics with the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, too has a similar facility.
Manish Raj, Under Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, conveyed this to Kareem Karassery, general convener, Blood Patients Protection Council, recently. It was in response to a memorandum submitted by Mr. Karassery to then Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan on December 12 last year, to mark Universal Health Coverage Day.