Governor Sindh Dr. Ishrat ul Ebad Khan has said that a comprehensive strategy is needed to create awareness about all blood disorders so as to prevent the children from the same. These disorders include Thalassemia, hemophilia, leukemia, Bone Marrow complications and other diseases. This he said while talking to a delegation of Afzal Memorial Thalasseamia Foundation (AMTF) led by its CEO Dr.
Asim Qidwai at Governor House. He said that it was also needed that all NGOs working in the field of prevention and cure of blood diseases must join hands and work through a single platform in this regard so as to assemble and combine their efforts to acquire optimum results and save precious human lives. Masses should be given awareness about avoiding marriage of two Thalassemia minor patients as there was a very strong possibility that their children would be thalassemia major patients, he observed and said that media could play an important role in this regard.
Dr. Ebad said that thalassemic children have to go through a painful cycle of blood transfusion regularly which is very agonizing experience for both patients and their parents. For the implementation of essential Thalassaemia test of marrying couple, an advocacy campaign is needed to motivate them to conduct the test voluntarily so as to avoid birth of new Thalassemics, he added. Governor Sindh said that the role of NGOs working in the field of awareness and cure regarding various blood disorders is very commendable for which government was thankful to them.
He asked philanthropists to come forward and support such organizations and added that Government would also provide every help and assistance to such institutions. He said that Sindh Health department was also implementing a thalassemia control project in the province with a cost of Rs. 60 million and for this very purpose an amount of Rs. 27 million has been earmarked in current year’s provincial Annual Development Programme. He lauded round the clock free of cost care, transfusion and ICU facilities to thalassemia patients by AMTF and said other such organization should follow their example.
The proposed Hemophilia Rehabilitation Centre of AMTF would also be a welcome addition for the treatment and care of such patient, he observed. He assured that Government would provide help in expansion project of AMTF. He also accepted the invitation to visit AMTF care and transfusion facilities and said that he would soon visit the hospital of the foundation. Dr. Asim Qidwai CEO AMTF informed Governor Sindh about the working of the Foundation in detail. He said that as many as 1100 thalassaemia patients are registered with the foundation, and are being provided 24 hours free of cost care services. The other members of the delegation included Shaikh Zaki Ahmed, Atiq-ur-Rehman and Muhammad Rehan.
