KARACHI, May 9: The Sindh Health Department, in close coordination with provincial law department, is currently in the process of preparing a ‘Thalassaemia Eradication Bill’, which will soon be presented before the Sindh Assembly.

The Sindh Health Minister, Shabbir Ahmed Qaimkhani, talking to the APP on Tuesday after a seminar organised by Kashif Iqbal Thalassaemia Care Centre to observe World Thalassaemia Day, said the provincial health department would do its optimum to get the bill adopted by the house.

Consensus among public representatives would be essential regarding the disease, which has its socio-economic repercussions on the masses, he said.

The minister said the bill would be aimed at ensuring necessary support to those already inflicted by the genetic blood disorder and to arrest the growing number of new thalassaemia cases in the country.

The minister said that in consonance with efforts towards the bill’s adoption, the Sindh Health Department would also make necessary budgetary allocation for the establishment of a thalassaemia care centre and special blood transfusion units at all major government facilities across the province.

These efforts would be adopted on gradual basis, however, the first facility will be inaugurated in Karachi followed by other cities and areas as per the needs, he said.

Earlier, in his presidential speech at the seminar, Shabbir Ahmed Qaimkhani said that relevant diagnostic gadgets would be arranged at government hospitals, right from those in major urban centres to those at the level of talukas, to get timely detection of thalassaemia-minor carriers.

Mentioning that this would require hefty funding, the minister said that not only would the government make necessary contributions but local philanthropists were also expected to support the much needed cause to prevent thalassaemia.

Timely diagnosis of children and youth at a possible risk of getting thalassaemia minor can help their adults adopt a pragmatic approach to ensure that two thalassaemia minor do not enter into wedlock, which could enhance the number of thalassaemia majors.

Lt-Gen (Retd) Moinuddin Haider, President, Pakistan Thalassaemia Society, said that growing understanding about thalassaemia had led to improvement in the life span of those inflicted with the genetic disorder.

The disease has not yet been identified as curable, however, different successful options are said to be available, he said, referring to bone marrow transplantation and the ongoing research on stem cell implantation.

As for therapy or treatment, which the Pakistan Thalassaemia Society established some two to three years back, it has been able to convince the federal government to have treatment facilities.

These are currently available at PIMS, however, more such facilities are required at other major hospitals run by the federal and provincial governments.

The former governor of Sindh appreciated the Kashif Iqbal Thalassaemia Centre for replicating and making available low-cost but equally efficient pumping machines to eject iron load that may affect the liver and heart functioning of local thalassaemics, requiring frequent blood transfusion. The process, he said, was yet painful but the Society had for the very purpose been able to arrange the import of relevant medicines from India at a much lower cost as compared to that imported from Switzerland.

“The Indian company has also provided us the formula of the tablet and Pakistani drug manufacturers would soon be producing the same at a low cost,” he said.

Muniza Shamsie, a second year MBBS student and a thalassaemia major on the occasion said that thalassaemic major patients could lead a most effective and efficient life through better understanding about the disorder.

The seminar was also addressed by Muhammad Iqbal, Akhter Nawaz and others.—APP