Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute, located in Shyamoli, Dhaka, is one of the key places where children with thalassemia receive treatment. Yesterday, a heartfelt picture was painted during a visit to the hospital's Thalassemia Center: a mother, Shikha Akter, was quietly sitting with her daughter, Rodela.

Rodela is the only child of her parents and lives with them in Kalshi, Mirpur. She's a seventh-grade student at a nearby kindergarten school. Shikha shared that her daughter was diagnosed with thalassemia when she was just five years old. Since then, they've had to come to this hospital every month so Rodela can get a blood transfusion. For a low-income family like theirs, the ongoing cost of treatment is a constant struggle.

Medical experts warn that the number of thalassemia patients in Bangladesh is increasing rapidly. The rate of thalassemia carriers in Bangladesh is higher than in most South Asian countries. According to various related studies, 3-4 percent of the total population in India, 5-7 percent in Pakistan, 4-5 percent in Nepal, 2-3 percent in Sri Lanka, and 8-9 percent in Afghanistan are thalassemia carriers. On the other hand, the rate in Bangladesh is 11.4 percent. Only the small-populated Maldives is ahead of Bangladesh, with 16-18 percent.

The Bangladesh Thalassemia Foundation reports that 6,000 to 8,000 children are born with thalassemia in the country every year. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), over 18.2 million people in the country—about 11.4 percent of the total population—are carriers of the disease. Naturally, as the number of carriers grows, so does the number of patients.

May 8 is World Thalassemia Day, observed globally since 1994 to raise awareness about this life-altering disease. In Bangladesh, thalassemia treatment officially began in 1998 at this hospital, which has since become the Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute. This year's theme is- "Together for Thalassaemia: Uniting Communities, Prioritising Patients."

The hospital's Thalassemia Center and its Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Department hosted a seminar to mark the occasion. The chief guest, commerce adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin, stressed the urgency of action, saying, "We need a concrete plan to bring the number of thalassemia patients in Bangladesh down to zero within the next 10 years."

At the seminar, commerce adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin emphasized an important point: "There's nothing wrong with being a thalassemia carrier. A person can live a completely normal life even if they are a carrier. But if two carriers get married, there is a risk that their children could be born with the disease."

To lead by example, Sheikh Bashir Uddin launched a thalassemia awareness campaign by getting his blood tested at the event.

Professor Dr. AKM Azizul Haque, chairman of the hospital's board of directors, presided over the seminar. Various speakers stressed the need to increase awareness about thalassemia in Bangladesh, just as other countries have. They also highlighted the importance of improving treatment quality, protecting patients' rights, and identifying carriers to prevent the disease from spreading.

Health experts say the key to preventing thalassemia is public awareness. Although it's a preventable disease, a lack of understanding means new patients are being diagnosed every day. Professor Dr. Md. Mahbubul Hoque, director of Bangladesh Shishu Hospital, explained, "Thalassemia is a serious disease, and prevention is essential. Since the number of carriers in our country is very high, raising awareness is the only way to control it. Treatment is also very expensive, and patients are often at risk of developing other health issues."

The main treatment for thalassemia is regular blood transfusions. Most patients need a transfusion every 2 to 4 weeks, and they must continue this for their entire lives. The minimum cost of monthly treatment is about BDT 13,000.

A bone marrow transplant is the only possible cure — but it's extremely expensive, costing between BDT 1.5 to 1.8 million.

Professor Dr. Md. Belayet Hossain, head of the Pediatric Hematology and Cancer Department at the hospital, said, "We must ensure proper treatment for all thalassemia patients. But the cost of care is too high for many poor families, so many patients are unable to complete their treatment. As a result, they can't live a normal life and often face other physical complications."

Treating thalassemia is not simple. One of the biggest challenges is that patients need regular blood transfusions to survive. On top of that, many thalassemia patients also develop diabetes, which makes managing their health even harder.

At yesterday's seminar, Professor Dr. AKM Azizul Haque said, "It's possible to find out through tests whether an unborn baby has thalassemia. However, the special equipment needed for this test is only available in this hospital. Nowhere else in the country has it. This testing facility is badly needed in other districts too."

Several speakers at the seminar strongly recommended thalassemia carrier screening before marriage. According to doctors, a person needs to know if they are a carrier. If a carrier marries someone who is not a carrier, there is no risk of their child having thalassemia. Professor Dr. AKM Azizul Haque explained,

"Pre-marriage carrier screening is extremely important in our country. If we can make this a common practice, we can prevent thalassemia and stop it from spreading further."