The hospital administration and officials of Indus Blood Bank have asked parents of Thalassemia sufferers to resort to the option of alternative donors, as they are facing a paucity of the samples.
According to the data collected by this scribe, there are around 480 patients putting up with the disease in Thatta and Sujawal. The centre generally caters to the needs of 40 to 50 patients a day.
The abrupt shortage has added to the suffering of the patients and their parents, to the extent that they complained to the chairman of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan the other day during his visit to Thatta.
The HRCP chief gave them comfort by saying that their issue would be resolved, but when, is anybody's guess.
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The official returned from the district after attending a formal gathering organised by the government.
Meanwhile, members of the civil society have raised high reservations over the issue and urged Chief Minister Sindh, Murad Ali Shah to take notice of the critical state of affairs.
According to a report by the National Health Service published last year, there are about 100,000 thalassemia-major patients in the country.
Talking to The Friday Times, Dr. Adnan Aziz told this correspondent that if a thalassemia patient does not get blood on time, it could lead to severe complications for them and eventually prove fatal.
Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder in which the body makes an abnormal form of haemoglobin. It affects the body’s ability to produce healthy red blood cells. It also reduces haemoglobin production, which means that people with this condition will have fewer red blood cells to carry oxygen to their organs.