By Our Correspondent
Nepalgunj, Nov. 12: The sickle cell anemia centre established at Bheri Hospital in Nepalgunj is out of service in lack of space and transfer of its focal person.
The centre was established to treat the sickle cell anemia patients of Banke, Bardiya including other districts of western Nepal.
Sickle cell anemia is a hereditary disease in which a patient’s red blood cells become stiff and abnormally ‘sickle or crescent-shaped’.

The service was halted after consultant physician Dr. Rajan Pandey was transferred to Bharatpur Hospital in Chitwan. The treatment of sickle cell anemia disease was not in operation due to the lack of space at the hospital, said chairman of Anemia Society Prabhuram Tharu.
The patients are facing problems in the lack of treatment service at the centre, said Tharu.

According to Dr. Birendra Bahadur Chand, chief medical superintendent of Bheri Hospital, the sickle centre was not in operation due to the flow of COVID-19 patients and in lack of a building.
Dr. Chand said that the room of sickle centre was being used for the PCR laboratory.
He said that the hospital was making efforts to manage the room to resume the sickle anemia services soon.

The service was halted due to the lack of space and manpower, said Chand and assured that the service would be resumed soon after managing a room.
Sickle cell anaemia is public health problem, but it can be controlled through a balance of disease management and prevention measures.
Krishna KC, Member of Lumbini Province Assembly, has asked the hospital for the operation of the centre.

KC said that the problem of public health should be addressed and a counseling and treatment facility are a must to control the disease. Krishna Prasad Shrestha, member of Bheri Hospital Development Committee also committed to managing a separate building to operate the treatment centre.

Minister for Internal Affairs and Communication of Lumbini Province Tilak Ram Sharma has shown his concern towards the centre. Minister Sharma has recently directed the hospital to operate the centre soon.