Karachi: On the occasion of World Hemophilia Day celebrated worldwide on April 17, a cake was cut and gifts were distributed with sick children of this bleeding disorder in Karachi. In relation to the world day, Haemophilia Welfare Society Karachi (HWSK) organized a wonderful ceremony at it’s state of the art treatment center located at Nazimabad No. 4, in which children affected by Haemophilia were joined by their parents, government officials, philanthropists. Among other didnitaries, Sindh Blood Transfusion Authority (SBTA) Director Dr. Aftab, Hemophilia Focal Person Dr. Arpana Nihal, Convener FPCCI Medical and Health Sciences Committee Dr. Zahid Ansari, Founder and CEO Hemophilia Welfare Society Karachi Raheel Ahmed, Anis Ur Rehman, Dr. Sarfaraz Jafri, Shahid Dawood, Fakhar Alam Zaidi and Rana Asghar Ali were present. The guests cut the birthday cake with the children. On this occasion, the guests also distributed gifts among them. Talking to the media, Dr. Zahid Ansari said that treatment facilities should be provided in government hospitals for hemophilia patients. Dr. Arpana Nihal said that Haemophilia Society is doing great work, there is a need to create constant awareness about this disease. Dr. Aftab said that Sindh Blood Transfusion Authority, Sindh Health Department is working for the awareness of these diseases. Raheel Ahmed appealed to the government to make the hematology department functional in every district hospital and provide hemophilia treatment at government level. About 30,000 people across the country are living a miserable life with the bleeding disorder hemophilia. An estimated 10,000 of them are in Sindh province alone. A large part of the patient population is deprived of such adequate treatment and support and is suffering from disability, he mentioned. Raheel Ahmed while appreciating the cooperation of the Sindh Health Department in the treatment of six patients appealed to the provincial health minister Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho to release the funds which were approved in her previous term but are pending since then. Expressing regret, he said that the summary of treatment of 50 more patients is also pending in the health department and the concerned authorities are not paying attention to issue it, he lamented. Raheel Ahmed further informed that 15% of the expected 30,000 patients in Pakistan are receiving humanitarian assistance from the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH). “In Sindh province, only 1,200 patients out of an expected 10,000 are registered with the society. Out of these 1,200 patients, only 15 percent are receiving humanitarian assistance through WFH while only 0.05 percent are receiving treatment from the Sindh Health Department, he added.
ADVERTISEMENT
