Alkhidmat Foundation marks World Thalassemia Day

PESHAWAR: Alkhidmat Hospital Nishtarabad here arranged an awareness walk and a seminar to mark the World Thalassemia Day where speakers stressed the urgent need for a collective national effort to combat thalassemia, which is a hereditary blood disorder.

Advisor to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister for Information Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif was the chief guest on the occasion, while provincial president of Alkhidmat Foundation, Khalid Waqas Chamkani, Major General (Retd) Abid Latif, Dr Naveed Sharif and others spoke at the seminar.

The speakers urged the government, political parties, religious scholars, media and all other stakeholders to work together to curb the spread of the disease.They said that thalassemia is genetically transmitted from parents to children and while bone marrow transplant is the only potential cure, prevention and awareness are far more effective in controlling the disease.

Citing successful examples from countries like Italy, Greece, Egypt, Iran, and Bangladesh, the speakers noted that these nations managed to significantly reduce thalassemia rates through public education and preventive measures such as mandatory pre-marital testing.

Barrister Saif announced that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government plans to include thalassemia treatment in the Sehat Insaf Card program to ensure financial support for affected families. He also highlighted plans to collaborate with Alkhidmat Foundation and other welfare organizations to fully utilize available resources for prevention and care.

The speakers expressed concern over the increasing prevalence of thalassemia in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with an estimated 5,000 new cases reported annually.They underscored the need to implement the existing law mandating pre-marital thalassemia testing, originally introduced during the MMA government. They also raised awareness about cousin marriages as a significant contributing factor to the spread of the disease.

Participants were informed that over 1,300 thalassemia patients are currently registered with Alkhidmat’s centers in Peshawar, Charsadda, Kohat, and Abbottabad. These patients receive regular blood transfusions and medical assistance free of cost. Many beneficiaries come from both Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.An awareness walk was also held outside Alkhidmat Hospital, which was participated by children, city elders and others.