As we enter 2025, we reaffirm our commitment to a thalassemia- and sickle-free India, where no one suffers from blood disorders. This year, we are embracing transformative changes to strengthen, refine, and scale the prevention, management, and cure models we’ve developed over the past 14 years. Our focus is on amplifying impact and advancing our mission for the greater societal good.
"Every question sparks a journey, every discovery fuels the next—at San
Thanks to the success of the Sankalp Program For Thalassemia Cure, people from different corners of the country look forward to our group for BMT for thalassemia. With haplo identical transplants also beginning to show some promise, BMT is now being sought by many families. The not for profit costs and the fine results has made even people of Kutch look forward to transplants.
It has been three years since the time Sankalp started the program for thalassemia cure. We started our bone marrow transplantations for patients who had a matched related donor only. Even in this selected group of patient, recent data shows that the team has achieved 95.5% disease free survival and 98.3% overall survival last year, building upon the success of previous years. Specially in the matched sibling context, the team improved disease free survival from 89.1% across the years to 98.3% for last year alone.
The most essential aspect of caring for severe thalassemia syndromes (ST) with the inability to spontaneously maintain haemoglobin levels more than 7 gm/dl is a good blood transfusion service.
People who read scientific data know that often they come across an abstract of a scientific publication which looks interesting but they cannot read the full article because of a prohibitive fee. Published scientific research seems to be within reach only to those who are part of elite academic institutions and business.
In 2003, we saw a man die in an ICU. The family of the man was running from pillar to post looking for blood donors! The pain, agony and helplessness led to the formation of Sankalp India Foundation. For some time after that, we continued to see blood banks as institutions where blood should be provided when when there is a need. We continued to maintain donor lists! As we worked through the blood requests - we realised that by waiting to donate blood when people need, we were actually ensuring that the family goes through very anxious time.
Time has flown by and we have entered the 15th year of operations. When we started off in 2003, little did we know what distance we would have walked. Sankalp has progressed from a truly voluntary organisation to something that today employs nearly a dozen people in powerful change making roles.
A clinical trial is an important element of research in the field of medicine and science. Before any treatment protocol, or medicine or any practice related to the patient is brought into mainstream practice, it is essential that the trials have proved it's impact.
August was a month of plenty in Bangalore - at least as far as blood is concerned. Unfortunately, still several blood donation camps are not carefully planned keeping in mind the demand of blood. When the colleges reopen after the summer vacation, there are several institutions who express desire to conduct camps. Most blood banks just choose to take up the opportunity to collect rather than engage with the organizers and attempt to better schedule the dates.
"For when the One Great Scorer Comes to mark against your name, He writes–not that you won or lost, But how you played the Game"
This is part of a famous poem that reminds one to work towards a goal with fairness in approach and honesty in the mind and actions. This is a constant journey. Beyond this victory or defeat is only a temporary station. Those words sum up the 13 years of Sankalp India Foundation. As a team we have tasted several victories and losses, but held nerve to not give up on the honest and fair way of doing things .
India is striving to achieve the target of 100% voluntary blood donation by 2020. National Blood Transfusion Council, National AIDS Control Organisation, Federation of Indian Blood Donation Organisations and all other stakeholders agree to the goal. The primary focus appears to increase voluntary blood donation to meet the ever growing demand for blood in the country. Is increasing supply to meet the demand the only way?
