|
|
#1
04-28-2016, 05:18 AM
|
|||
|
|||
Use of media advocated for public awareness about thalassemia
MKRMS and Safe Blood Transfusion Programme organise seminar; expert says Pakistan needs national thalassemia policy
ISLAMABAD: Considering media to be the most powerful tool of communication in modern times, panelists at a public health seminar here on Wednesday were unanimous in advocating the use of TV channels and newspapers to increase public awareness of the control and prevention of thalassemia — the most dangerous among the diseases affecting children. At the same time, health experts called for formulation of a national policy to coordinate efforts against this inherited form of anaemia caused by faulty synthesis of haemoglobin. Titled “thalassemia – awareness, prevention and our responsibilities”, the event was jointly organised by the Mir Khalilur Rehman Memorial Society (Jang Group of Newspapers) and the government-run Safe Blood Transfusion Programme at a local hotel. People from all walks of life, especially government functionaries, health experts, journalists, literary personalities and representatives of public welfare groups, were in attendance. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Affairs Irfan Siddiqui, who was chief guest, called for better coverage of diseases in newspapers and TV channels to create public awareness of the ways and means to control and prevent them. He said thalassemia afflicted **t only its victims, but also their families. However, he said their misery could be eased by better awareness of the disease. Irfan Siddiqui complained that the media focused much of its attention on political issues ig**ring social issues, especially those concerning the public health. He said there was a need for a comprehensive media policy to highlight diseases, especially ways and means to control and prevent them, on TV channels and in newspapers to the benefit of people. Calling for production of more and more talk shows, morning programmes and dramas on thalassemia, Siddiqui also urged health experts and the relevant government officials to contact the media houses and educational institutions for public awareness of the disease. He appreciated the Jang Group of Newspapers for vigorously advocating public issues, especially those pertaining to healthcare and education. National Coordinator Safe Blood Transfusion Programme Professor Hassan Abbas Zaheer said making more and more people aware of thalassemia and its complications was need of the hour for better public health in the country and the media being the most powerful tool of communication in modern times had the key role to play. He said thalassemia was the most prevalent genetic blood disorder in the country. “thalassemia mi**r or carrier is a mild form of the disorder. It is estimated that there are eight to 10 million thalassemia mi**r patients in the country with prevalence rate of five to six per cent, while there are around 100,000 patients suffering from thalassemia major, the severe form of the disorder. Alarmingly, every year this number is increasing by 5,000 to 6,000 making the thalassemia control and prevention a big challenge,” he said. Professor Hassan said thalassemia patients were dependent on regular blood transfusions to stay alive in addition to expensive chelation therapy and other medical management. He said thalassemia was a major healthcare challenge placing huge psychological and financial stress on the affected families and putting extra burden on the national healthcare delivery system. The SBTP national coordinator cautioned that thalassemia ran in families, where intermarriages were common. “Pakistan is seeing a large increase in thalassaemic patients due to a lack of national thalassemia policy. As a result, there are ** national level prevention, control or management strategies. In addition, there are limited diag**stic facilities. The high ratio of consanguineous/cousin marriages, little access to education and health facilities and lack of a national thalassemia screening and prevention programme in Pakistan are contributing factors causing entrapment of the thalassemia genes within the affected families,” he said. Professor Hassan said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh had passed laws on thalassemia prevention proposing compulsory screening for the couples intending to get married. He, however, regretted the implementation of these legislations had been limited due to the high cost of relevant test, limited ability of laboratories to perform expensive and complex tests and lack of any implementation mechanism. He said integration of a multi-layer programme into the primary healthcare delivery system providing carrier screening, pre-natal diag**sis and genetic counseling along with educational drive through seminars, advocacy of school teachers and organising prevention campaigns had resulted in steady decrease in newly registered thalassemia cases in Islamic countries like Iran and Turkey. He added that in Cyprus a thalassemia prevention programme, which began in 1973, had almost changed the scenario and ** thalassaemia affected baby had been born since 2002, while similar success had also been witnessed in Italy and Greece, where the prevalence was more than 25 per cent. Professor Hassan said the National Thalassaemia Policy needed to be developed for Pakistan for which technical assistance from the World Health Organisation was requested. “On the basis of that national policy, an action plan should be developed for execution,” he said. Other speakers, including Major-General (R) Suhaib Ahmad, former deputy commandant at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Rawalpindi, Dr Samina Amanat, Associate Professor (haematology), Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University-PIMS, Islamabad, and Dr Amir Maqbool of the SBTP, also stressed that the use of electronic and print media could help control and prevent thalassaemia. أكثر... ??????? ??????: Use of media advocated for public awareness about thalassemia || ??????: ahlam1399 || ??????: اسم منتداك
|
|
|
العرض الشجري