AMTF urges govt to implement law on thalassaemia

MN Report

Karachi: Around 5,000 babies are born with thalassaemia every year, while between 80,000 and 100,000 children are living with this blood disorder in Pakistan, according to Afzaal Memorial Thalassaemia Foundation (AMTF).

Speaking at a news conference at Karachi Press Club, the AMTF’s chief executive officer, Tariq Aziz, urged the government to implement law on thalassaemia in letter and spirit to control prevalence of disease.

“Prevalence of inherited blood disorders like thalassaemia, hemophili, aplastic anemia are on the rise in the society,” he said, adding that already there are over 1.2 million thalassaemia patients in the country.
He said thalassaemia is a blood disorder and a common inherited disease with no cure and most of the patients of the genetic disorder have to endure blood transfusion for life.

Attributing the disease to marriages among close relatives, he said that chances of having thalassaemia major in every pregnancy are increased in case two thalassaemia minor carriers get married.

He informed newsmen that his organization was serving patients suffering from thalassaemia and other blood diseases since 2003 and, at present, 1,100 thalassemia patients were being provided treatment facilities. The AMTF’s day care centre, blood donor centre and a laboratory were providing health care facilities to poor patients.
He urged philanthropists to extend their cooperation to the AMTF as it was providing free treatment and diagnostic facilities to the patients.

Consultant hematologist Dr Nusrat Nadeem and Member Advisory Board Atiq-ur-Rehman were also present at the press conference.