The Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) will conduct nationwide awareness activities to address the growing risk of thalassemia in Bangladesh.
The initiatives will be carried out under PKSF’s Preventive Healthcare Programme through its partner organisations across the country.
The announcement was made at a voluntary blood donation and thalassemia awareness programme held on Sunday at PKSF Bhaban-1 in Agargaon, Dhaka. The programme was jointly organised by PKSF and Bangladesh Thalassemia Samity and Hospital.
PKSF Chairman Zakir Ahmed Khan, Managing Director Md Fazlul Kader, and Executive Director of Bangladesh Thalassemia Samity and Hospital Dr A K M Ekramul Hossain spoke at the event.
Addressing the gathering, Zakir Ahmed Khan said that there is no alternative to public awareness in preventing thalassemia.
Considering the severity of the disease and the high cost of treatment, he stressed the need for strong preventive measures. He noted that coordinated efforts, regular screening, and increased social awareness can effectively prevent thalassemia in Bangladesh.
PKSF Managing Director Md Fazlul Kader said that PKSF’s Partner Organisations currently provide health, financial protection, and various development services to around 22.5 million people across the country. By utilising this extensive network, PKSF will take effective steps to prevent thalassemia through premarital screening of prospective brides and grooms, identification of carriers, and promotion of behavioural change.
Highlighting the alarming rise in thalassemia cases, Dr A K M Ekramul Hossain said that approximately 15,000 children are born with thalassemia every year in Bangladesh, and about 11.4 per cent of the population are carriers of the disease. He emphasised on the urgent need to raise mass awareness to curb the growing burden of thalassemia.
Speakers noted that thalassemia is a preventable genetic blood disorder. A child is at risk of developing the disease only if both parents are carriers; if one parent is a carrier and the other is healthy, the disease will not occur.
Therefore, they stressed on the importance of knowing one’s carrier status before marriage and proposed including thalassemia screening in the marriage registration process. Examples from countries such as Cyprus, Italy and Greece were cited, where discouraging marriages between carriers and enforcing mandatory screening have reduced thalassemia cases to nearly zero.
Later on, PKSF Chairman Zakir Ahmed Khan formally inaugurated the blood donation programme. He expressed gratitude to the voluntary donors and encouraged them to continue this altruistic work. Officials and staff members from various levels of PKSF enthusiastically took part in the blood donation campaign.
