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Sickle cell cards and what they entitle you to | CION Cancer Clinics
A sickle cell card records your screening result: normal, trait or disease. It is free under the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission, and it helps you get counselling, family screening and follow-up care at government facilities. It does not pay for a private hospital stay. This page explains each result, how to get the card, and where Aarogyasri, PM-JAY and insurance come in. At CION Cancer Clinics, our haematology team supports patients and families through treatment, cost questions and life at home.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Basudev PokhrelConsultant Haematologist · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- What does a sickle cell card actually give you?
- What do the results on the card mean?
- How do you get screened and receive a card?
- What do families get wrong about the card?
- What can the card help you access?
- Is the sickle cell card the same as a disability certificate?
- What can the card not do for you?
- Common questions about sickle cell cards
The short answer
What does a sickle cell card actually give you?
A sickle cell card is a record of your screening result. It is free, and it opens the door to free follow-up at government facilities, but it is not a treatment and it is not money in your hand.
Where the card comes from
The card is issued under the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission, a central government programme run through the National Health Mission. Sickle cell anaemia is an inherited condition. The red blood cells take a curved, sickle shape, break down early and block small blood vessels, which leaves you with a low haemoglobin and episodes of severe pain. The mission screens people in states where the gene is common, and Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are among them.
Why a result on paper matters
Many families only learn about sickle cell when a child is admitted with pain or a serious infection. A card means the result travels with you. A doctor in a district hospital, an emergency department in Hyderabad or a counsellor before a marriage can all see it at once, without repeating the test or guessing.
Who this page is for
It is for anyone who has been screened, has been handed a card, or is the son or daughter trying to work out what a parent's card means. It explains the benefits in general terms. It cannot tell you what your own state is offering this month.
Scheme rules change. Check the current entitlements at your nearest government health centre before you plan around them.Reading the card
What do the results on the card mean?
The card records one of three results. Each one leads to a different next step, and only one of them means you have the illness.
Normal
No sickle gene was found in your screening test. You do not have the condition and you cannot pass the gene on to your children. Keep the card anyway, because family members may ask about it.
Trait, or carrier
You carry one copy of the gene. Most carriers stay well all their lives and need no treatment. The result matters most when you plan a family, because two carriers can have a child with the disease.
Worth doing
- Genetic counselling before marriage or pregnancy
- Screening for your partner
Sickle cell disease
You carry two copies of the gene and have the condition itself. This result should lead to a confirmatory test and regular follow-up with a doctor who looks after blood disorders.
Ask about
- Regular check-ups and blood tests
- Vaccinations and infection prevention
- Whether hydroxyurea suits you
The process
How do you get screened and receive a card?
Screening near home
Screening camps run through schools, anganwadi centres, primary health centres and community health workers in covered districts. A small blood sample from a finger prick is enough for the first test, and there is no charge.
Confirming a positive result
If the first test suggests the gene is present, a second test at a higher-level laboratory confirms whether it is trait or disease. Do not treat a first result as final until this is done.
Receiving the card
The card is handed over through the health system, and the result is linked to your digital health record where that is set up. Ask the health worker when and where to collect it if it has not reached you.
Counselling and follow-up
Carriers are offered counselling. People with the disease are referred for regular care. Take the card to every appointment, and keep a photo of it on your phone.
Leave a number, we will call you
One field. No form to fill in, and no charge for the call.
Commonly believed
What do families get wrong about the card?
"A trait card means my child is sick."
A carrier has one copy of the gene and is usually entirely well. Treating a healthy child as ill causes needless worry and missed school. What the trait does change is family planning, so keep the card safe for later.
"If we show the card, no one will marry our daughter."
The card exists to protect the next generation, not to rule anyone out. Two carriers can still marry. Counselling explains the chances for their children and the tests available during pregnancy, so the couple can decide with full information.
"The card makes every hospital bill free."
It does not. The card supports free screening, counselling and follow-up at government facilities. A private admission is paid through Aarogyasri, PM-JAY, CGHS, ECHS, EHS or insurance if you are eligible, and otherwise by you.
"He has had no pain for a long time, so he can stop the tablets."
Feeling well is often the sign that treatment is working. Never stop, skip or change a medicine on your own. Talk to the treating doctor first, who will look at the blood tests before deciding anything.
What to ask for
What can the card help you access?
- Free screening for brothers, sisters, children and partners
- Genetic counselling before marriage or during pregnancy
- Regular follow-up at a government facility for people with the disease
- Hydroxyurea and folic acid at government facilities, where the doctor prescribes them
- Advice on vaccinations and preventing infections
- Supporting evidence when applying for a disability certificate
Two different papers
Is the sickle cell card the same as a disability certificate?
Sickle cell card
Disability certificate (UDID)
Records a screening result for anyone tested
Only for people with the disease, after a medical board assessment
Given through the screening programme
Applied for separately through the UDID portal or a government hospital
Supports counselling and free follow-up
Can open state benefits such as pensions, travel concessions and reservations
Carriers receive one too
Carriers are not eligible
Being straight with you
What can the card not do for you?
The card cannot tell you how severe the illness will be. Two people with the same result can have very different lives, and that depends on regular care, avoiding infection and early treatment of pain, not on the card.
It does not pay for an admission
A pain crisis, a chest infection or a transfusion may need a hospital stay. At a private hospital the cost is covered only through a scheme or policy you already hold. Aarogyasri, PM-JAY, CGHS, ECHS, EHS and cashless insurance each have their own lists of covered treatments. Call the scheme helpline or your insurer with the card and the discharge summary, and ask what applies to you now.
It does not replace emergency care
Severe pain that tablets at home do not settle, fever, breathlessness, sudden weakness on one side, or a child who is unusually drowsy needs help the same day. Go to the nearest emergency department or call 108, and show the card when you arrive.
Where CION fits
CION's haematology team, led by Dr. Basudev Pokhrel, can review your reports and card, explain the result in plain words and plan follow-up care. Where a specialist service is needed elsewhere, the team helps you reach a qualified centre and tells you what to ask.
Any figure you are quoted for private care is an estimate, not a promise. Ask for it in writing.Questions we are asked
Common questions about sickle cell cards
Is there any charge for the sickle cell card?
No. Screening and the card are free under the national mission in covered districts. If anyone asks you for money to issue or speed up a card, do not pay. Report it to the medical officer at your primary health centre, and ask the health worker directly when your card will arrive.
We were screened but never got a card. What should we do?
Go back to the health centre or the health worker who did the test, with your Aadhaar and the date of screening. Ask whether the result was recorded and whether it needs confirming. Delays are common. A copy of the laboratory report is still useful to a doctor while you wait for the card itself.
My card says trait. Do I need medicines?
Usually not. Most carriers stay well and need no regular treatment. Tell any doctor who plans an operation or anaesthesia that you carry the trait. The most useful step is to have your partner screened, and to use the free counselling before planning a pregnancy.
Can my child get hydroxyurea free with the card?
Hydroxyurea is supplied at government facilities under the mission when a doctor prescribes it, but stock and access vary by district. Whether it suits your child, and how much, is decided only by the treating doctor after blood tests. Do not start, stop or change it on your own.
Does the card work outside Telangana or Andhra Pradesh?
The result on the card is valid anywhere, and any doctor can read it. Free follow-up and medicines, however, are arranged through each state's health system. If you move for work, visit the nearest government hospital early and ask how to register with them.
Will Aarogyasri pay for a sickle cell crisis admission?
It may, depending on the treatment given and the current package list. Aarogyasri, PM-JAY, CGHS, ECHS and EHS each decide coverage themselves, and their rules change. Before a planned admission, ask the hospital's scheme desk to check your eligibility. In an emergency, get treated first and sort out the paperwork after.
Should an adult with sickle cell disease also get a disability certificate?
It is worth applying if the illness affects work, study or daily life. Sickle cell disease is listed under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act. The certificate is separate from the card and involves a medical board assessment. It can open state benefits that the card alone does not.
Can CION look at my card and reports?
Yes. Bring the card, any laboratory reports and discharge summaries. A haematologist will explain what they mean, suggest the follow-up that fits and tell you which parts can be done free through government services. The consultation is private care, so ask the helpline about charges and schemes before you travel.
What moves the figure
What affects the cost
Four things change the total more than anything else.
The technique used
A shaped or image-guided delivery costs more than a conventional one, and is chosen on clinical grounds rather than preference.
How many sessions
The total is driven by the number of sittings or cycles, not by a single per-visit figure.
Supporting tests
Scans, blood work and pathology done alongside treatment are billed separately.
Your cover
Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS or cashless insurance usually change the out-of-pocket figure substantially.
Paying for it
Insurance, schemes and payment
What you actually pay usually differs a great deal from the sticker figure.
AarogyasriEmpanelled. Bring the card and a referral where you have one.
CGHS / ECHS / EHSAccepted at CION centres for eligible treatment.
Cashless insuranceMost major insurers are empanelled. Pre-authorisation is handled by our desk.
Self-payItemised estimate given before treatment starts. No EMI scheme exists.
Accreditation and empanelment
- NABH
- NABL
- ISO 9001:2015
- ArogyaSri empanelled
- CGHS accepted
- ECHS accepted
- EHS accepted
- Major cashless insurers
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Dr. Basudev Pokhrel reviews blood counts, transfusion needs and blood disorders, and works with the CION tumour board on blood cancers.
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Where to find us
Our centres in and around Hyderabad
Addressed by landmark, because that is how this city navigates. A haematology consultation can be booked at any of these centres through one helpline, and your team will tell you where each test or treatment takes place.
Warangal
Vizag
Sources
- National Health Mission — National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission
- NHLBI — Sickle Cell Disease
- NHS — Sickle cell disease
- American Society of Hematology — Sickle Cell Disease
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Costs, Schemes and Access for Blood DisordersEvery scheme and cost guide for blood disorders in one placeDisability Certification for Blood DisordersHow to apply for the certificate the card does not replaceInsurance for Chronic Blood DisordersWhat a policy may cover when an admission is neededDay Care Transfusion Services in HyderabadIf regular transfusions become part of care
Talk to us
Holding a card or report you are unsure about?
Share it with us or call the helpline. A haematologist will explain the result and the next step. One helpline serves every CION centre.