UGC includes Sickle Cell Disorders in Syllabus at higher education institutes

Nagpur: In another step forward to eliminate Sickle Cell Disorder (SCD) by creating awareness about the same, the University Grants Commission (UGC) last week directed all higher educational institutes for including a chapter on SCD in the curriculum of the relevant courses.

With this, the curriculum of the higher educational institutes will include lessons on inherited blood disorders/sickle cell, along with its causes, treatment, inheritance pattern, modes of testing, and prevention.

This comes after Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) suggested for including SCD in curriculums of both higher educational institutes and schools.

Apart from this, the continuous efforts in this regard by a homeopathy doctor from Kurkheda in Gadchiroli district also played a major role here, adds TOI. The concerned homeopath, Dr. Ramesh Katre has been working in this regard for the last 20 years urging the authorities to include information about sickle cell in the syllabus of school and university.

Also Read: Quantifying the life expectancy gap for people living with sickle cell disease

As per the latest media report by the Times of India, already he has written more than 350 letters, sent 750 emails to the authorities in the education and health ministries of altogether 15 states, where sickle cell is prevalent and a matter of concern. Apart from this, he has also written to the Central Government authorities in this regard.

Back in 2017, with the continuous efforts by Dr. Katre, a chapter about sickle cell was added in the class IX syllabus by the Maharashtra State Education Department.

Mentioning that Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had played an important role in this regard, Dr. Katre mentioned, “There is a chapter on sickle cell in the science and technology textbook of class IX of the state board. But I was insisting that a more detailed chapter must be there in the college syllabus as students of marriageable age groups must understand the seriousness of the disease.”

“When I approached Gadkariji in a sickle cell alliance function and gave him my letter, he made it a point to forward it to the education and health ministers with his own cover letter. This worked for me,” he further mentioned.

Recently, he got the result of his perseverance over the years and after the Union Minister Gadkari forwarded his letters, UGC gave a positive reply in this regard.

Telangana Today adds that ICMR also suggested including SCD in the curriculum of school and higher educational institutes as it opined that SCD could only be managed with proper awareness, counselling and specific therapy. Further, writing a letter in this regard, ICMR opined that awareness on SCD could be created at different community levels including school and higher educational institutes with the help of a well drafted educational program.

Referring to the ICMR letter, UGC mentioned how India has the second highest burden of sickle cell disease incidence globally, with around 30,000-40,000 children being born every year with the disorder.

Commenting on the UGC order, Dr Katre from Maharashtra told TOI, “I’m happy that the UGC issued this order. Hopefully, all central universities, including Nagpur University, will include a chapter on sickle cell in their syllabus. If students are made aware about the sickle cell disease and marriages between two carriers is avoided then the disease can end in the next 20 years.”

Sickle Cell Disease refers to a group of blood disorders that are generally genetic by nature. Among these, the most common type is known as sickle cell anaemia. Due to this, the oxygen-carrying protein haemoglobin found in red blood cells suffer abnormality.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that while presenting the Union Budget for 2023-2024 in Lok Sabha, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had mentioned that a mission will be launched for eliminating sickle cell anaemia by 2047.