Public hospitals to test thalassemia patients' blood for free: Nasim

Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammed Nasim said on Wednesday that thalassemia patients could diagnose their blood free of cost at public hospitals in the country, reports BSS.

"All the public hospitals in the country would diagnose the blood of the patients with thalassemia free of cost," he said.

Nasim was speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural function of Thalassemia Awareness Programme in city's Shahbagh with Director General of Health Services Prof Dr Abul Kalam Azad in the chair.

Additional secretary of the ministry M Habibur Rahman and Secretary General Bangladesh Medical Association Dr M Ehteshamul Huq Choudhury were present on the occasion.

"The disease is spreading because of ignorance of people. Therefore, creating awareness is the need of the hour to get rid of this deadly but preventable disease." Nasim said.

He also urged the well-off people of the country to come forward to help poor thalassemia patients so that they could receive health facilitates.

"There is no dearth of rich people in our country...I would like to request them to come forward to help the government and the patients at the grassroots so that they could receive medical treatment," the minister said.