By Dr Pranita Joshi Deshmukh | Research Coordinator
A famous quote says “If you are faced with a mountain, you have several options. You can climb it and cross to the other side. You can go around it. You can dig under it. You can fly over it. You can blow it up. You can ignore it and pretend it’s not there. You can turn around and go back the way you came. Or you can stay on the mountain and make it your home.”
Sickle Cell disease is a mountain challenge for a tribal sufferer patient. Working in tribal hilly areas made a huge difference in sensitising medical and para medical team members to day to day challenges sickle cell patients face.
We celebrated World Sickle Cell Day on 19th June 2017 with interactive seminar for medical fraternity and free check up camps for screening of Sickle Cell disease.
Over two decades Maharashtra Arogya Mandal is working in tribal areas of Northern Maharashtra and conducting screening and treatment camps.
In May we have conducted 101st camp with more than 1273 screenings and treatment with 1096 Sufferer and 119 carrier patients.
This June screening camp was really filled with excitement, joy and satisfaction as our Emeritus Scientist and Department of Sickle cell Head at Maharashtra Arogya Mandal Dr Sudam Kate received prestigious ‘Sickle Cell Advocate of the Year 2017’ (SCAY) award for his excellent work and dedication towards sickle cell anaemia from Sickle Cell 101 California USA based organisation. The SCAY Awards recognises devoted sickle cell advocates who have made invaluable contributions for the sickle cell community.
Dr Kate was busy with 101st camp when the Sickle Cell 101 award got declared.
This itself proved continuos dedication towards the life’s mission for Dr Kate.
This award comprises of $500 Cash Prize with Award plaque and Feature on Sickle Cell 101’s Social media accounts, Website and Online Newsletter.
Dr. Kate plays an instrumental role at the Maharashtra Arogya Mandal (MAM) in Pune, an Ayurvedic medical college. This center caters to the needs of tribal people in rural areas and has launched the Sickle Cell Anaemia Project. MAM provides a team of devoted medical staff and has screen 25 villages for sickle cell disorder and other health problems.
A true pioneer for sickle cell advocacy, Dr. Sudam L. Kate has dedicated a total of 36 years of his life to sickle cell in India. Dr. Kate has an extensive list of accomplishments regarding his work in research and patient care.
His journey began in 1972 when a team of Russian anthropologists visited India with the aim to study genetic markers among tribal population groups from Maharashtra and selected the Pawara tribal groups from Sahada taluka of the Dhule district. Dr. Kate was selected as a member from the BJ Medical College and given the responsibility of studying genetic markers and genetic surveying among 20 different population groups, particularly in tribal and scheduled caste populations.
While screening the Pawara tribal community for blood markers, he came across with few sickle cell trait carriers and one patient with sickle cell disease. This was a new and first finding within that area. He presented his data to his mentor Prof G S Mutalik who suggested him to continue this project work.
Throughout the course of his career, Dr. Kate remained active within the sickle cell community continuing his study on genetic disorders, organising national symposiums on tribal healths, and organising health camps in tribal areas of Maharashtra.
In 1998, Dr. Kate established Sickle Cell Dawakhana, a sickle cell centre that provided diagnoses, counselling and Ayurvedic treatment. Till date there have been 3204 patients diagnosed under the centre's medical supervision.
Sickle cell Community Healthcare is now synonymous with Maharashtra Arogya Mandal. This work is getting internationally reclaimed because of torch bearers like founder member Late Dr Dada Gujar, Sickle Cell Scientist Dr Kate and Organisation Secretary Mr Anil Gujar with a path setting visionary approach.
We are hopeful that GlobalGiving Platform will help us to reach to maximum social radius and fulfil our ambitious dream of setting up ‘centre of excellence’ at tribal village with objective to screen and diagnose sickle cell patients and provide them Ayurveda centric holistic care.
Please take a look at Sickle cell Day presentation of Dr Kate delivered on 19th June 2017 in intellectual gathering of all the medical fraternity and sickle cell patients.
We wish that global society gets aware about this disease and work towards eradication which is the aim of International Sickle Cell Day celebrations.
With gratitude and regards
Anil Gujar
Secretary
Maharashtra Arogya Mandal
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