LARKANA: As many as 2.5 million children are suffering from Thalassaemia in Pakistan at the moment.
This was revealed by Prof. Saifullah Jamro, Head of Department of Paeds Medicine, Unit-II of Chandka Medical College and Hospital, while addressing a seminar at Shaikh Zayed Hospital for Women on Tuesday to mark the International Thalassaemia Day. He said that the only cure of this disease is bone marrow transplantation which is very costly and not yet available in Larkana.
He said it is essential to get the couple tested for Thalassaemia before marriage to prevent the spread of this killer disease. Commissioner Mohammad Abbas Baloch said that they are trying to establish blood donation centers at other places so that the same could be offered to the affected children. Prof. Ghulam Asghar Channa said that that they all should endeavour to eliminate this ailment from the society for which awareness must be made among the masses.
He said donating blood would ensure saving of many innocent lives as the affected children need blood transfusion. He said that this disease is transferred to the newborns from their parents which could be prevented within two months of pregnancy through tests. He said that those kids who are suffering from Thalassaemia should never marry.
The participants also met with the affected children, their parents and distributed gifts among them. Over 100 students of Chandka Medical College donated blood on the occasion to mark the day. It must be mentioned here that Thalassaemia Center established in the Paeds Medicine Department was handed over to Fatimid Foundation due to lack of management by the CMCH authorities.