“Our daughter Prema was three months old when she started vomiting milk and was not able to hold anything in her stomach. We took her to a private hospital in Anantapur; they told us she had a blood problem and gave her transfusions, but they could not detect the problem and each transfusion cost a lot; I’m a daily wage worker, and my wife is a housewife, we could hardly afford it. Her blood was sent for a thorough check-up, and she was diagnosed with Thalassemia; we were referred to RDT Bathalapalli Hospital, where they treated my daughter with the utmost care, and 90% of the transfusion costs were covered by RDT,” says Prema’s father.

Prema, who is now six years old, is steadily recovering after receiving a bone marrow transplant from her brother. RDT Bathalapalli Hospital works towards reducing Thalassemia cases through screening and HPLC tests. Awareness sessions for pregnant women and parents of children with Thalassemia are regularly conducted to help manage the blood disorder. “Since last year, we have successfully screened 5,300 mothers and we continuously focus on timely diagnosis and early intervention to improve health outcomes for families,” says Dr Dasaratha Ramaiah, HOD, Department of Paediatrics & Neonatology at RDT Bathalapalli Hospital.

“My daughter has regained her health and will be able to be whatever she wants to be.” – Hanumantha, Prema’s father 

Text and Image: Katia Álvarez Charro