Gandhinagar, June 18 -- Ahead of World Sickle Cell Day on June 19, Gujarat has crossed a major healthcare milestone, screening more than 1.11 crore people under its targeted Sickle Cell Anaemia Control Programme, according to a press release by the Gujarat government.

First launched in 2006 across 14 tribal districts under then-Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Gujarat's initiative was the first of its kind in India. Today, the state's blueprint serves as the backbone for India's national mission to eliminate the genetic blood disorder by 2047.

This year's global theme, "Closing the Survival Gap: Equity in Sickle Cell Disease," aligns with Gujarat's expanded grassroots infrastructure, which now tracks and supports tens of thousands of patie...