ABSTRACT:
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood disorder prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and India, particularly affecting Other Backward Classes (OBC), Scheduled Tribes, and Scheduled Castes. In Chhattisgarh, SCD contributes to severe health issues, including chronic anemia, pain, strokes, and organ damage, impacting around 10% of the population, with 20% of the Gond tribe particularly affected. Patients face significant stigma and various challenges that compromise their well-being. A 2013 report from the Jawahar Lal Nehru Memorial Medical College in Raipur indicated that 10 percent of Chhattisgarh's population is impacted by the disease, with indigenous tribal groups facing a greater burden. A recent December report from the State Health Resource Centre revealed that the condition afflicts 20 percent of the Gond tribe. Tribal people have been known for their ethnomedical knowledge and practices for a long time. They can treat various health problems like diabetes, jaundice, epilepsy, and anemia but SCD is an incurable disease even by modern medicines and treatment. Despite tribal communities having traditional medicinal knowledge, SCD remains incurable, and many are unaware of its cause. This paper advocates for specialized infrastructure in Chhattisgarh, including tiered medical, training, counseling, and research facilities