Daily Times

KARACHI: The distraught parents of 10 year old, Bushra Jokhio, suffering from aplastic Anemia, have appealed to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Sindh Chief Minister and philanthropists for financial help for her second Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT).

Jokhio is suffering from aplastic anemia for last three years and she is on blood transfusion. She resides in Kathore, a remote area located at Super Highway.

According to National Institute of Blood Disease and Bone Marrow Transplantation (NIBD) Karachi, the curative treatment of the girl is Bone Marrow transplantation on urgent basis.

Aplastic anemia is a rare disease in which the bone marrow and the hematopoietic stem cells that reside there are damaged. This causes a deficiency of all three blood cell types (pancytopenia), red blood cells (anemia), white blood cells (leukopenia), and platelets (thrombocytopenia).

Jokhio’s first Bone Marrow Transplantation was conducted at NIBD in May, 2015 and remained ‘uneventful’ so she requires second BMT, said Dr. Saqib Hussain Ansari, Consultant Haematologist Transplant Physician Pediatric at NIBD.

“First Bone Marrow Transplantation cost around Rs 4 million that was only made possible through philanthropy,” said Raees Ahmed, father of Bushra Jokhio adding “I am a primary school teacher and can not afford such huge amount”.

According to NIBD, the total cost of the second BMT will be around Rs 4 million. The patient will have to deposit Rs 2.8 million in advance that also covers medicines, blood products transfusion charges, lab investigations and other workup charges.

Raees says since her first BMT, she is being given blood regularly and until now around 300 blood bags have been consumed. “I have to work hard to arrange blood for Bushra. This is very painful exercise since I live in very remote and far flung area”.

He appealed to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Governor and Chief Minister of Sindh, Maryam Nawaz and philanthropists to help him financially in order to save the life of his daughter.