Experts on Thursday urged healthy people to donate blood voluntarily on regular basis to save the lives of over 100,000 Thalassaemia patients in the country and 5000 babies, which born every year with the deadly disease. They appealed to people that every single drop of blood could save precious lives, urging the youth to take an active part in the awareness campaigns through the social media forums for protecting humanity. These patients need regular blood transfusion and iron chelation after consultation with a qualified hematologist, along with regular diagnostic investigations on a monthly basis, which is unaffordable for the poor families in they country, they said. In Pakistan, approximately over 100,000 patients are suffering from Thalassemia currently, and every year, 5,000 babies are born with the deadly disease, revealed a report, released by the Pakistan Thalassemia Centre (PTC) recently. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics document shows that the share of children in the total population of the country from 2009 to 2018 is 35 per cent in the age group of 0-14 years. Similarly, Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) report shows that one in every 14 children dies before reaching their first birthday, and similarly one in every 11 children dies before reaching their fifth birthday. The document further highlights that among other diseases, an estimated 5,000 children with Beta (ß-Thalassemia) are born every year. This number is 5 to 8 per cent among a 9.8 million total ‘carriers’ of the country’s population, it calculated. Medical Director Sundas Foundation Dr Adnan Gilani said that beta Thalassemia among children was a ‘major’ and one of the most severe forms of blood disorders. He said that during blood shortage, such patients face serious life threats, as blood makes only a few healthy red blood cells which even do not ensure a life cycle for a long time. This disorder is passed from parents to children through genetic inheritance, and as a result, the red blood cells do not produce protein and enough hemoglobin, which supplies oxygen throughout the body, he added. To a query, Dr. Gilani said that children with Thalassemia suffer from severe medical complications, including life-long blood transfusions. Following the government appeal to save the precious’ lives of the Thalassemia children, the Sundas Foundation, along with some other associations, organised different blood donation camps including one at the Governor’s House, in which the general public, students of various institutions, Hall Road traders, Punjab Police personnel and religious quarters donated more than 265 blood pints, Dr. Adnan said. Around 12,000 blood pints are collected in the form of donations annually across the Punjab province, he added. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pakistan Sweet Home and President Allied Health Professional Council of Pakistan Zamurrad Khan (Hilal-e-Imtiaz) said: “This day is specified to mark as a day to pay tribute to the heroes, who donate blood regularly for saving precious lives.”