Civil Hospital soon to have Thalassaemia ward: minister

The News
10 May 2003

KARACHI: Provincial Minister for Planning and Development Shoaib Bukhari has said that the Civil Hospital will soon have a ward for Thalassaemia, to be inaugurated by Muhammad Iqbal, Chairman, Kashif Iqbal Thalassaemia Care Centre (KITCC).

He was addressing a conference as a chief guest organised by KITCC at PECHS Community Hall, here on the occasion of World Thalassaemia Day. He said that he would do his best to make a media message run through television and radio so that people might be aware of the fatal disease. He said that he would also request the World Health Organisation to supply desferal injections to the NGOs involved in Thalassaemia control for free infusion to Thalassaemia major patients.

"What I say, I mean; and what I mean, I maintain," said the minister and assured that he would fulfil all his promises.

He also asked the experts to inform the government what prevention measures could be taken regarding the control of the deadly disease. He said that he would convey all the demands, including the one calling upon the government to make pre-marriage Thalassaemia test mandatory, to Sindh Governor.

Earlier, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Youth Affairs, Shabbir Ahmed Qaimkhani, said that issue of enacting law regarding pre-marriage Thalassaemia test would be raised in the Sindh Assembly.

Advisor to Chief Minister for Health Noman Sehgal, who participated in the conference on behalf of Sindh Governor, assured the KITCC management to address all of its problems. He said that he would ask the pharmaceutical companies to help the NGOs like KITCC so that their capacity to serve the humanity could be strengthened. He said that he was all the time ready to donate blood to those needing it.

Sehgal asked the KITCC chairman to select a site for his centre anywhere in the city and that he would ask the ministry concerned to allot the same to his centre. He also asked him to meet him some time and brief him about what could be done to eradicate Thalassaemia from the country.

Earlier in his welcome address, Haq Nawaz Akhtar, former federal secretary for communication and KITCC chief patron, said that all the major hospitals of the country should have separate wards for Thalassaemia and other blood-related diseases. He also called for the formation of National Coordination Council on Thalassaemia, with the representation of experts both from the government and private sector. He also sought the government help for running a Thalassaemia awareness campaign through media and in schools and colleges.

In his address, Chairman KITCC Muhammad Iqbal said that after his child died of Thalassaemia, he decided to establish a centre for those suffering from this deadly disease.

"Every year, about six to seven thousands Thalassaemia major patients are born in the country, which presently has over one lakh such patients. For these patients, about 1.8 million bottles of blood are needed every year," he said.

"A very small number of people know about this fatal disease in our country. If we do not make our people aware of this disease, we will not be able to save our next generations," he said, adding: "Thalassaemia major is a certain death, which is caused when two Thalassaemia minor carriers marry each other. Since the number of Thalassaemia minor carriers in the country is about 10 million, one can imagine what will happen in the next couple of years if people are not made aware of this fact," he said.

He said the only way to eradicate the disease from Pakistan was to make the pre-marriage Thalassaemia test mandatory through legislation. He urged the government to make a Thalassaemia certificate necessary for admission to college.

He also urged the parents to get this test conducted for their children. Renowned surgeon Tahir Shamsi, Dr Muhammad Iqbal Memon, Deputy Director of National Institute of Child Health and others also spoke