Odisha Opens Sickle Cell Centre at SCB

Odisha Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling inaugurated a Centre of Competence (CoC) for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, along with two advanced diagnostic facilities.
The Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) and Automated Capillary Zone Electrophoresis systems, installed at a cost of ₹3.90 crore under the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission, are the first of their kind in Odisha and eastern India. They will support the diagnosis of SCD, thalassemia, haemophilia, genetic disorders and cancers, while improving newborn screening.

Mahaling said Odisha has the highest incidence of sickle cell disease in India, with genetic haemoglobin disorders affecting around 15.6% of the state’s population. The government also plans to establish a second such centre at VIMSAR, Burla.
The minister also inaugurated the country’s first single-window Model Day Care Centre for blood disorder patients, offering consultations, transfusions, specialised diagnostics, medicines and counselling under one roof.