One of the largest HLA Testing Camps in Kolkata is scheduled for December 21, 2025, organized in collaboration with DKMS, Thalassemics India, Coal India, the Federation of Blood Donor Organizations of India, and the Paschim Bangal Sikkim Prantiya Marwari Yuva Manch. Led by Dr. Sunil Bhat, Director and Head of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation at Narayana Health City, Bengaluru, the initiative aims to screen more than 500 thalassemia patients and their families to identify potential bone marrow transplant (BMT) matches.
Thalassemia continues to be a significant public health challenge in India, with Eastern India being among the most affected regions. While thousands of children rely on lifelong blood transfusions, a bone marrow transplant offers the only definitive cure and the hope of a healthy, normal life. As Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty, Founder and Chairman of Narayana Health, emphasized, “At Narayana Health, we believe that a definitive cure is a fundamental right, especially for our children. Thalassemia demands more than just management; it demands solution. This massive screening effort is our commitment to making curative care accessible and affordable, ensuring that financial barriers never stand between a child and a normal, healthy life.”
The free HLA Testing Camp is open to all children under 12 years of age who have been diagnosed with thalassemia.
Narayana Health operates one of India’s most sophisticated Bone Marrow Transplant programmes, centered at its state-of-the-art facility in Bengaluru. With more than 2,500 transplants completed, it stands among the country’s most experienced and trusted centers. Families who find a suitable match through the camp will also receive financial assistance to help them move forward with curative treatment.
Highlighting the core objective of the initiative, Dr. Sunil Bhat shared, “Our aim is to make curative treatment a reality for every child battling thalassemia. By finding HLA-matched families through this camp, we help them take the next, crucial step toward transplantation. Early testing and timely action can truly change a child’s life.”
To ensure maximum reach, Narayana Health is working closely with thalassemia units in government medical colleges across West Bengal, as well as with blood banks, Red Cross societies, and multiple NGOs.
The HLA Testing Camp will take place on December 21, 2025, at Narayana R N Tagore Hospital, Mukundapur, Kolkata.
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