By Dr. C. N. Manjunath, MP, to Grace Sankalp India Foundation’s Thal Meet 2026 as Chief Guest
Bengaluru, Jan 10: Shri Dr C. N. Manjunath, Member of Parliament from Bangalore Rural, will be the Chief Guest at Thal Meet 2026, a national partners’ conclave organised by Sankalp India Foundation to advance prevention, care and cure for thalassemia and other hemoglobinopathies. As Chief Guest, Dr Manjunath will felicitate dignitaries from leading institutions across India and officially release a series of awareness and educational posters that will be displayed at Sankalp-supported daycare centres, with a strong focus on high-quality clinical care.
In his address to clinicians, program leaders and institutional partners, Dr Manjunath is expected to highlight the urgent public health need to prioritise prevention of hemoglobinopathies through systematic antenatal screening, counselling and early intervention. He has also committed to raising the issue of hemoglobinopathy prevention in relevant policy and parliamentary forums, giving crucial momentum to efforts aimed at making carrier screening and preventive services an integral part of routine maternal and child health programmes in the country.
Hosted at the 4th Floor, Auditorium in Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain Hospital, Vasanth Nagar, Bengaluru, Thal Meet 2026 will bring together representatives from over twenty partner centres that deliver Sankalp’s thalassemia management program, collaborating with cure and prevention programs. The day-long event will combine guided tours of the Sankalp Thalassemia Day Care Centre, Sankalp Blood Centre, child care home, and Bone Marrow Transplant facility with technical sessions, impact stories and structured case discussions, showcasing how disciplined day care practices, robust blood systems, centralised laboratory support and psychosocial care improve outcomes for children and adults living with transfusion-dependent disorders.
A key segment of the event will focus on how strong thalassemia day care centres create the foundation for successful prevention and cure, by ensuring good hemoglobin levels, optimised chelation, consistent monitoring and counselling that prepares families both for long-term management and for potential bone marrow transplant. Dedicated sessions will share updates on Sankalp’s bone marrow transplant work and its expanding prevention initiatives, including how partners can integrate antenatal screening and counselling into district health systems and reach high-risk communities more effectively. A “Partners’ Roadmap and Experience Sharing” segment will enable institutions to reflect on their journeys, discuss operational challenges and co-create strategies to strengthen prevention, from raising community awareness to building referral pathways and ensuring follow-up of identified carrier couples.
By closing the day with shared commitments captured through a symbolic “Tree of Commitment,” Thal Meet 2026 aims to translate the visibility and support brought by Dr Manjunath’s presence into concrete system-level advances in management, prevention, and cure for hemoglobinopathies in India.