On World Thalassemia Day, officials ask for assistance in treating patients

KABUL (TOLOnews: The Ministry of Public Health and the Central Blood Bank said on World Thalassaemia Day that the treatment options for thalassemia patients are limited. Thalassemia is a blood disorder.

The ministry asked the international organizations to assist Afghanistan in dealing with thalassemia.

“We ask charities to establish and strengthen the thalassemia treatment center in Kabul and the provinces,” said Ahmad Siyar Pasoon, head of medical treatment at the Ministry of Public Health.

More than 12,000 thalassemia patients have registered with the Central Blood Bank, according to its director Nasser Sadiq. However, these patients have limited access to medical services, particularly medications.

“We ask the international organizations, especially the World Health Organization or departments that work in the health sector, to pay serious attention to these children,” Sadiq noted.

The Ministry of Public Health’s spokesman, Sharafat Zaman Amarkhail, said the ministry is working to build hospitals with the assistance of businesspeople in order treat cancer patients.

“The first meeting with the deputy has begun, and during the discussion, all the issues have been discussed, including how we might build a well-equipped center. How many human resources are required…, God willing, the Ministry of Health will collaborate in all areas, the spokesman added.

“We all will collect the budget for this center, God willing. We will build the hospital with this budget,” said Afghanistan’s national cricketer Mohammad Nabi.

Some children who are suffering from this illness asked the Ministry of Public Health and the citizens to cooperate in donating blood to the patients.

“I ask the Ministry of Public Health to provide medicine and a well-equipped laboratory for thalassemia patients in the hospital,” said Rafiullah, a patient.

The Ministry of Public Health of the Islamic Emirate also marked World Thalassemia Day by holding a meeting on May 8.

In the meeting, health institution officials said they do not have the precise numbers of thalassemia patients in the nation.