Emcure launches national campaign featuring MS Dhoni to increase anaemia awareness

Emcure Pharmaceuticals launched a nationwide public awareness campaign to address the growing concern of anaemia among Indian men. The campaign, featuring cricket icon MS Dhoni in a video released on International Men’s Day, aims to highlight the serious health implications of anaemia in men and encourage early diagnosis and treatment.  

The National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) reveals a concerning rise in anaemia across India, with a prevalence rate of 31 per cent among adolescent boys and 25 per cent among men. In recent years, anaemia has risen significantly among teenage boys (15–19 years) in 23 states and among men (15–49 years) in 17 states, highlighting a growing public health challenge. 

Anaemia can lead to a range of serious health consequences, including decreased attention span, poor work performance, and reduced productivity. Individuals with anaemia are also 2.5 times more likely to develop conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, chronic kidney disease, cancer, TB, diabetes, asthma, osteoarthritis, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. Despite these significant risks, male anaemia often goes unnoticed and is underreported in national and international health statistics.

On International Men’s Day, Emcure has launched an awareness campaign to help spread the word about male anaemia, its symptoms, and how to check for iron deficiency anaemia by doing a fast self-test on a dedicated website – anemiafreeindia.com. Former India captain MS Dhoni has set out to educate men and teenagers alike, about the typical symptoms of anaemia and the need for identifying it and acting appropriately when symptoms arise.

Speaking on the initiative, Dr Anupam Sachdeva, Director- Paediatric Hematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation Institute for Child Health Sri Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi shared, “The increasing prevalence of Anemia among men nationwide signifies an imminent threat to our economic productivity. To counter this rising trend, a strategic and targeted approach, specifically tailored to individual states, is essential for mitigating and preventing Anemia among men. Recognition of common signs like difficulty to concentrate, getting tired very soon whilst working, feeling tired even after a meal, shortness of breath, dizziness and weakness is the first step towards correcting your Iron deficiency levels.”

Anil Kothiyal, President, India Business, Emcure shares, “This is an expansion of our current programmes and initiatives to combat the growing menace of anaemia, which also affects men, but is often overlooked. In addressing such a key concern, we are not only achieving our objective of improving patients’ health but also reaffirming Emcure’s focus on preventive healthcare.”