Bheri Hospital has started free sickle cell, beta thalassemia, and hemoglobinopathy testing services for newborns using state-of-the-art, international-standard machines.
For the first time in Nepal, free sickle cell screening for newborns has begun at Bheri Hospital in Banke.
According to the hospital's Chief Consultant Physician and Sickle Cell Expert, Associate Professor Dr. Rajan Pandey, for the first time in Nepal, a free testing service for sickle cell disease in newborns has been started at Bheri Hospital using an internationally advanced machine (Bio-Rad VARIANT™ nbs System).
'With the installation of the new machine, it will be possible to confirm whether sickle cell anemia is present or not by testing it free of charge within 24 hours of birth and within five days,' he said. 'Also, when the baby completes nine months and receives the first dose of measles-rubella vaccine, sickle cell, beta thalassemia and other hemoglobinopathies can be further confirmed by testing it again.'
Apart from prenatal diagnosis and bone marrow transplantation, most of the comprehensive treatment and care services for hemoglobinopathy will now be easily available at Bheri Hospital, he said.
Associate Professor Dr. Pandey says that extraordinary achievements have been made in the testing and treatment of sickle cell anemia. Until July 2073, Nepal did not have the facility to test blood to determine whether or not one had sickle cell anemia. For that, blood samples had to be sent to India.
