Thalassemia patients are increasing in Pakistan every year as eight thousand children are born with thalassemia major.
Taking to reporters, Dr. Haseeb Azam, a physician, said that in Punjab seven children are born with thalassemia major yearly and six out of every 100 children have thalassemia carrier gene. He said that it is a hereditary blood disorder. Among the different types of thalassemia, he said the most dangerous is thalassemia major, in which the patient needs continuous blood transfusion.
According to an estimate, a patient with Thalassemia major costs Rs 180,000 annually and a bone marrow transplant is required for complete treatment. The bone marrow transplant is available only in 6 hospitals of Pakistan, he added.
He said due to negligence on part of the government and lack of knowledge about Thalassemia among people, the number of Thalassemia patients in Pakistan is increasing every year. A number of times, the bill against Thalassemia was presented in the assembly in Pakistan, but all in vain.
Dr Haseeb Azam urged government to include the form of (autosomal recessive diseases) in the marriage certificate so that screening test for Thalassemia could be made mandatory for every Pakistani before marriage. With the help of this screening, he said we could bridled the menace of Thalassemia.
