Our Story
ThalaCare Foundation was started by a father who watched his daughter wait three months for a blood transfusion. We exist so that no family ever faces that wait again.
Our Mission
Thalassemia major demands lifelong blood transfusions and iron-chelation therapy — a financial burden that crushes families. Our mission is to remove every economic barrier between a patient and the treatment they need. We fund transfusions, source safe donor blood, subsidise chelation drugs, and navigate the labyrinthine healthcare system on behalf of the families we serve.
Our Vision
We envision an India — and eventually a world — where thalassemia patients live full, productive, dignified lives. Through prevention education, newborn screening partnerships, and relentless advocacy for national policy reform, we work upstream to reduce new diagnoses while caring deeply for those already living with the condition today.
Our Values
We operate with radical transparency — publishing full financial disclosures, third-party audits, and patient outcome data annually. We treat every family who walks through our doors with the dignity they deserve. And we persist: through funding droughts, policy reversals, and pandemic disruptions. Our values are not aspirational slogans; they are the daily practice of every person in our network.
I started ThalaCare the month after my daughter Meera received her first transfusion in a private hospital corridor, because there was no bed, no nurse, and no certainty the blood was safe. I promised her that no child would ever go through that again if I could help it. Eleven years later, we are still keeping that promise.
Founded in Chennai by Ramesh Venkataraman with a seed corpus of ₹3 lakh and a team of three volunteers. The first ten patients are enrolled within the inaugural month.
A volunteer-matched blood donor registry is created, connecting O-negative and rare blood group donors directly with thalassemia patients in need. 400 donors register in the first six months.
ThalaCare's advocacy leads to Tamil Nadu including deferoxamine in the government essential medicines list at 80% subsidy, benefiting over 2,000 patients statewide.
Field offices opened in Maharashtra, Odisha, West Bengal, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh — states with the highest thalassemia burden in India.
When blood banks shuttered and supply chains collapsed, ThalaCare's courier network and donor pools ensured zero treatment gaps across 8,400 enrolled patients during the pandemic years.
The Government of India recognises ThalaCare for outstanding contribution to rare disease patient welfare — the first non-profit of its size to receive this honour.
Priya, a seven-year-old from Odisha, becomes the 14,000th patient to be fully enrolled in ThalaCare's transfusion and chelation support programme.
Our board and senior team bring together expertise in medicine, public health, law, and community development — all united by a personal connection to the thalassemia community.
Founder & Executive Trustee
Former engineer turned full-time humanitarian. Father of Meera. Has led ThalaCare's operations for over a decade with an unflinching commitment to zero patient exclusion.
Medical Director
Haematologist with 18 years of clinical experience in transfusion medicine. Leads ThalaCare's clinical protocols, donor screening standards, and hospital liaison network.
Chief Operations Officer
Former senior officer with a national NGO. Oversees field operations across 38 districts, manages a network of 600+ volunteers, and drives programme delivery accountability.
Head of Patient Services
A thalassemia major patient herself, Priya joined ThalaCare as a beneficiary at age 12 and now leads the frontline team that onboards and supports new families across South India.
Legal & Compliance Trustee
Human rights attorney with a focus on disability and healthcare access law. Ensures ThalaCare's compliance with FCRA, the Companies Act, and international grant governance standards.
Director of Fundraising & Partnerships
Brings 15 years of development sector experience. Manages relationships with CSR partners, institutional donors, and international foundations that fund ThalaCare's programmes.
All donations are eligible for income tax deduction under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act. We hold both 12A and FCRA registrations in good standing.
Our accounts are audited by an independent chartered accountancy firm. Full reports, including trustee remuneration disclosures, are published on our website every April without exception.
We track and publish longitudinal health outcomes for enrolled patients — including haemoglobin levels, chelation compliance, and hospitalisation rates — in our annual Impact Report.
Corporate and institutional donors receive quarterly utilisation certificates. We adhere to GRI standards for non-profit impact reporting.
At least 85 paise of every rupee donated goes directly to patient care. Administrative and fundraising costs are capped and disclosed annually.