Coal India Limited, under the auspices of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India is implementing Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana as part of its CSR initiative to support the treatment of children affected by two diseases - Thalassemia and Aplastic Anaemia. The scheme is being implemented since 2017. Thalassemia and Aplastic Anaemia Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that causes a body to have less hemoglobin than normal. It is a rare burdensome disease requiring lifelong repeated blood transfusion, as well as other expensive medical interventions for survival. Aplastic Anaemia is a condition that occurs when body stops producing enough new blood cells. It is estimated that more than 10,000 Thalassemia children are born every year in India. Similarly, 9400 people are diagnosed with Aplastic Anaemia every year. These diseases pose emotional, psychological and economic burden on the affected families especially those from rural and poor backgrounds besides placing great burden on healthcare services. Permanent cure of these ailments lies in Stem Cell Transplant also known as Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT). Further, it is found that the treatment is more successful if BMT is done at an early age. Benefits Financial assistance up to Rs.10 lakh is provided to eligible patients for Bone Marrow transplants in ten prominent hospitals spread across the country. Eligibility Criteria Thalassemia Aplastic Anaemia Age Upto 12 years Upto 18 years Family income Upto Rs 8 lakh/annum Upto Rs 8 lakh /annum Matching donor Matched related donor Matched related donor Others Patient must have transfusion dependent Thalassemia Patient should have 100% HLA matched sibling donor (minimum matching ratio: 6/6) or unrelated donor Patient must be other than Class IIIB patients, liver size of the patient to be less than 5 cms. below the coastal margin Patient must have severe aplastic anemia as documented by a bone marrow examination at one of the BMT centers Full 6/6 HLA matched related donor Necessary test for ruling out inherited bone marrow failure syndromes are to be done Empanelled hospitals The program has empaneled 10 reputed hospitals across India, including AIIMS, New Delhi; CMC Vellore; Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai; MCGM Hospital, Mumbai; PGIMER, Chandigarh; Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute, New Delhi; SGPGI, Lucknow; Narayana Hrudayalaya, Bangalore; CMC, Ludhiana and Tata Medical Centre, Kolkata among others. How to apply Eligible beneficiaries can apply online at https://www.coalindia.in/tbsy/ Source : TSBY portal