Minister calls for premarital testing to combat thalassemia

Islamabad: Federal Minister for Housing and Works Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada visited the Thalassemia Centre of Sundas Foundation in F-9 Park here on Monday.

He inaugurated the Activity Room established for thalassemic children and the electric cart donated by Allied Bank to facilitate the transportation of children from the outer gate. The minister praised the work of the foundation that being a pioneer non-profit organisation of its nature, is providing free blood transfusion services to thousands of children countrywide.

He admired the spirit of senior management to serve humanity. He also remembered the humanitarian work of founding chairman Muneer Ahmed Qureshi alias Munnu Bhai who demonstrated profound involvement in the treatment of patients suffering from Thalassemia. The minister stressed the necessary legislation, awareness, and mandatory lab tests before marriage and the use of modern research to prevent thalassemia in Pakistan.

On the occasion, the minister distributed gifts among the children. Director Sundas Foundation Islamabad Air Vice Marshal HI(M) Aftab Hussain described the functions and operations of the foundation, its current services, and its challenges. He said the foundation had been working for the last 26 years and nowadays it has expanded its services to nine major cities in Pakistan with twelve established centres.

He said to provide a holistic environment an activity room for religious, academic, and extracurricular activities for the thalassemic children has been established. This is the first thalassemic centre in the world to have this facility.