Karachi: Renowned hematologist and President of Omair Sana Foundation, Dr. Saqib Ansari, has revealed that the number of thalassemia carriers in Pakistan has exceeded 10 million. Speaking at a press conference in Karachi, he urged the government to take immediate measures to control the spread of this life-threatening genetic disorder.
According to Dr. Ansari, around 5,000 children are born with thalassemia each year in Pakistan, and approximately 90,000 thalassemia major patients across the country are dependent on blood transfusions for survival. He identified cousin marriages and the absence of premarital blood screening as the major causes of the disease.
He called on the government to make premarital thalassemia screening mandatory and free of cost. He also recommended that marriage registrars should not be allowed to register a marriage without a valid screening report. Dr. Ansari emphasized that mandatory screening before marriage is the most effective way to prevent the spread of thalassemia.
He further suggested the establishment of genetic counseling centers in every district, the inclusion of thalassemia awareness in school and college curricula, provision of free treatment and government funding for affected children, the formation of a parliamentary monitoring committee, and the inclusion of thalassemia carrier status in national identity cards.
Dr. Ansari also shared that the Omair Sana Foundation has been actively working for the awareness and treatment of thalassemia for the past 20 years. As part of its awareness campaign from May 1 to 8, a walk will be held at Hamdard University on May 5, a candlelight event at the Karachi Press Club on May 7, and a special seminar will be organized on World Thalassemia Day, May 8.
