Bhopal, Aug 20 : Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai Patel on Wednesday emphasised the need for genetic card matching before marriage to prevent sickle cell anaemia, a hereditary disease.

Patel said that early identification and prompt treatment are the most effective ways to prevent sickle cell anaemia.

"The earlier the disease is detected, the greater the chances of controlling it," he added while addressing a workshop on Sickle Cell Anaemia at the Eklavya Adarsh Vidyalaya Auditorium in tribal dominated Mandla district on Wednesday.

The programme was organised by the Ayush department of the Madhya Pradesh government, an initiative of the Centre government to eradicate sickle cell disease.

While addressing the event, Patel urged people to visit health centres and get themselves tested, pointing out that facilities are available to detect the disease in the mother's womb as well as within 72 hours of a child's birth.

He claimed that around seven crore people have been tested across the country, including 1.14 crore in Madhya Pradesh, since the Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a campaign to eradicate Sickle Cell Anaemia from Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol district in 2023.

During the programme, the Governor, who is handling the Centre's Sickle Cell eradication campaign directly and reviewing the process at least once in month, held an interactive session with children from the tribal community suffering from Sickle Cell Anaemia.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Ayush Minister Inder Singh Parmar said that the main objective of the workshop is to gather knowledge from doctors and traditional Vaidyas for the elimination of sickle cell anaemia and to spread it widely among the people.

He further claimed that the government of India has approved the establishment of an Ayurveda Research Centre in Balaghat, and MoUs are being signed with institutions doing notable work in research.

He added that efforts are underway to preserve the knowledge of traditional Vaidyas by documenting their research and connecting generations-old practices with modern technology.

/IANS