As many as 136 patients have been benefited under the Bal Sewa Yojana – under which treatment is provided to haematological thalassemia patients below the age of 12 through bone marrow transplant launched by Coal India Ltd (CIL) in 2017.
This is a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiative undertaken by CIL with an outlay of ₹20 crore, extending ₹10 lakh per patient at the maximum.
The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan, lauded the initiative of CIL in a virtual programme recently for providing such facility to below poverty line patients suffering from haematological disorders. Children whose parents' annual income is below ₹5 lakh are eligible under the scheme, said a press statement issued by CIL.
With the operational guidelines drawn by MoH&FW, CIL has identified six treatment centres across India for conducting bone marrow transplant for thalassemia patients.
Close to 200 patients are likely to benefit under the second phase of the programme which would include treatment of aplastic anaemia along with thalassemia patients with an additional grant of ₹20 crore, the release said.
The total CSR spend by CIL and its eight subsidiary companies during the last five years, ending 2019-20 was over ₹3,000 crore. CIL and its subsidiaries have spent around ₹588 crore on CSR during FY’20 encompassing education, rural development, healthcare, women empowerment, skill development, sports among others.