‘5 percent of population in Pakistan at thalassaemia risk’
ISLAMABAD: A seminar titled ‘Advance Concepts for Management of Thalassaemia Major’ was held on Thursday at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).
The seminar was arranged with an aim to create awareness among service providers, community and patients on the challenging problem of ‘thalassaemia major’.
Addressing the participants, the Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU) acting Vice Chancellor Prof Abid Zaheer Farooqui said that 5 percent of general population in Pakistan is carrying potential genetic predilection for thalassaemia disease.
The vice chancellor said that approximately about 5000 children are born with thalassaemia major each year in the country. He said that the PIMS Children’s Hospital has been providing services to the patients with blood disorders including thalassaemia patients at the thalassaemia unit.
He added that this newly emerging medical university is in a process of establishing public health department which would offer long and short courses including certificate courses by the first quarter of the current year.
Addressing the seminar Prof Farooqui said that the university is not only providing services to the ailing humanity, but is mandated to have a vibrant programme for capacity building, training and research, adding, huge number of undergraduate doctors, nurses and paramedics are enrolled in the university as its constituent part.
He said that SZABMU was holding postgraduate degree courses of MD, MS, MDS, MPhil, and MSPS. These courses were being held for more than 30 disciplines in clinical sciences and about ten disciplines in basic medical sciences, including public health.
The VC observed that the Department of Public Health is playing an energetic and vibrant role which is warranted for evidence based interventions and containment of preventable health conditions in Pakistan.
He expressed hope that the seminar would be helpful in sensitisation of doctors, nurses, paramedics and the community to achieve preventive endeavours to reduce disease.
He said that the event would provide service providers an insight and perspective to understand how the advance concepts can be considered for renewed management options.
PIMS Public Health and Administrator Director Dr Altaf Hussain said that“in order to have effective preventive endeavours and optimal service delivery, there is a dire need to have
indigenous data on its extent, incidence and prevalence on the occurrence of thalassaemia in the community”.
He added only credible and real data from communities and catchment areas will enable us to take adequate steps which can be directed keeping in view the evidence based statistics of communities and country.
He said that PIMS Children’s Hospital has been providing services to the patients with blood disorders including thalassaemia patients at the thalassaemia unit since its inception in 1986.
He added formal unit was established for thalassaemia cases on February 21, 2005. He said the first Bone Marrow Transplant Unit was formally established at Children’s Hospital of PIMS, in collaboration with an Italian Organization Cure to Children Foundation since January 2009.
Dr Altaf observed that there is a dire need to establish ‘Thalassaemia Registry’ points at all provinces with adequate linkages with federal point proposed as “National Collaborating Center for Thalassaemia Registry and Training”, at the Public Health Department of SZABMU for compiling and finalising national statistics.
He said that there is a crucial requirement for counselling services for parents of patients suffering with thalassaemia either minor or major for optimal management and follow up.
Dr Wasim Khawaja from PIMS said that thalassaemia is one of the challenging inherited conditions which can be eliminated by optimal awareness of the service providers.
He said that it is a high time to create awareness in the community for proper counselling, management and to achieve this target, adequate preventive measures both from the community and the service providers is required.
Source: Daily Times