What happened:
Pakistan’s first haemophilia centre has opened its doors in Nazimabad, Karachi. The centre has been set up by the Haemophilia Welfare Society. And, it was inaugurated by Indus Hospital CEO Dr Abdul Bari Khan on Thursday. “Although there is no government-run institution for haemophilia patients in Pakistan, the centre, set up by the Haemophilia Welfare Society Karachi, will provide free treatment to patients suffering from the disease not only in Karachi but also from across the province,” said Dr Bari. So far the centre has registered 735 patients from Sindh for free treatment. Founding member and president of the HWS, Raheel Ahmed, said there are 22,000 known haemophilia patients in Pakistan. In Sindh alone there are 6,000 hemophilia patients. Haemophilia is an inherited blood disorder where blood doesn’t clot properly. Ahmed said that treatment is very expensive and the injections used to treat the disease are not manufactured in Pakistan. He urged the government to provide treatment. The cost of treatment per person is more than Rs. 0.2 million a month. The Sindh health department is working on a project to provide facilities to haemophilia patients, Dr Dur-e-Naz, director Sindh Blood Transfusion Authority, reassured Ahmed. The HWSK is a subsidiary of the Haemophilia Foundation Pakistan that provides support to people with haemophilia. The society was formed by people with haemophilia who advocate for patients, raise funds and run awareness campaigns.