Dr Naveen Malik
Affiliation: Government PG College for Women, Panchkula, Haryana (134112), India
Email: [email protected]
Abstract: This research paper investigates Talcott Parsons’ “sick role” framework concerning thalassemia, a genetic disorder affecting many individuals. It argues that the increasing prevalence of this chronic condition is changing societal views on time and health, impacting the expectations of patients and healthcare systems. Thalassemia is common in Africa, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Melanesia, and the Pacific Islands, with about 3% of the global population carrying the beta-thalassemia trait, and India having the highest number of carriers. Approximately one in every 30 births has a thalassemia mutation, with around 20% of the global population affected. India alone has around 40 million individuals with thalassemia, including 100,000 with thalassemia major, requiring regular blood transfusions. Antenatal Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS) offers a prevention strategy during early pregnancy. This study focuses on the challenges faced by thalassemia patients in Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Chandigarh, examining the disease’s aetiology, clinical manifestations, and the social, economic, and psychological impacts of treatment protocols based on research from local medical institutes.
Keywords: Sick Role; Thalassaemia; Genetic Disorder; Chorionic Villus Sampling.