Sahiwal Medical College Hosts Thalassemia Awareness Seminar

Sahiwal ( The breaking Times – Arshad Farooq Butt ) To prevent thalassemia in children, it is important to educate the public about the complications of the disease and to discourage marriage among close relatives in society.

Every year 6,000 children in Pakistan suffer from the dangerous disease of thalassemia which is a moment of reflection. This was stated by Principal Sahiwal Medical College Prof. Dr. Muhammad Imran Hassan Khan while addressing a seminar on Thalassemia in which Dr. Hussain Jafari, Director General, Punjab Thalassemia Prevention Institute, Lahore, Yasmeen Ehsan, Additional Director, Dr. Safia Izhar, Head, Department of Gynecology, Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Sajid Mustafa, MSc, Dr. Abdul Waheed, MSc, Dr. Nisar Ahmed Saeedi, Head of Urology Department, Dr. Amna Urooj, Dr. Amber Nawaz and Sohail Shakur, in-charge of Thalassemia Project Sahiwal also participated.

Dr. Hussain Jafari said that the Punjab government has taken several steps to prevent this deadly disease in children, including thalassemia test before marriage and raising awareness in the society.

He said that there are 60,000 thalassemia patients in Pakistan with an increase of 6,000 patients every year which is a matter of concern. Addressing the seminar, Dr. Safia Izhar and Dr. Sajid Mustafa said that the Department of Gynecology and Pediatrics has a pivotal role in the prevention of thalassemia and the doctors and paramedical staff working in these fields should provide parental counseling on the dangers of the disease. Do it so that the disease can be controlled.

He appreciated the establishment of Hematology Lab in Sahiwal for the diagnosis of Thalassemia and termed it as an important milestone in the control of the disease which would enable immediate diagnosis and treatment of children suffering from the disease. Muhammad Israr, a child suffering from thalassemia also addressed the seminar.