National Assembly Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi on Monday stressed the need to introduce legislation making it binding on people to undergo a blood-test before tying the knot to eradicate thalassemia in particular among other diseases.
He was speaking at a meeting organised by the Health Department regarding an unsubstantiated report of some children contracting AIDS through blood transfusion. Abbasi said the parliament would provide all kinds of support to provincial governments in introducing legislation in this regard.
Health Secretary Jawad Rafiq Malik told those present about steps taken to prevent the spread of AIDS among thalassemia patients in the Punjab. He said the report of some children contracting the virus through blood transfusion was uncorroborated. Malik said the record of the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital’s Thalassemia Centre had not substantiated the allegation. He said a committee constituted by the government to probe the rumour had recommended the immediate screening of all children suffering from Thalassemia in the province.
Adviser to Chief Minister on Health Salman Rafique said 12,000 children were suffering from thalassemia in the Punjab. He said it would take a few months to screen them. Rafique said the Punjab was the only province where the government had been running a Thalassemia Control Programme. He said the programme was being run in 22 districts across the province. Rafique said the scope of the programme was being widened to cover the remaining districts. He said the Punjab Blood Transfusion Authority (PBTA) had been striving to prevent the spread of diseases through blood transfusion. Rafique said blood banks had been directed to register with the authority.
He said the PTB had started inspecting blood banks province-wide.
Health Services Director General Zahid Pervaiz, Additional Secretary Salman Shahid, UNAIDS Pakistan Director Marc Saba and National Assembly Members Waheed Alam Khan and Shahzadi Umerzadi Tiwana were also present on the occasion.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 24th, 2014.
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