Daily Times

KARACHI: A woman from Sindh’s remote district Jacobabad solely covered 400 kilometers to reach provincial capital Karachi fighting for her six-year old thalassaemiac daughter Khadija Qadeer for her bone marrow transplant.

Due to lack of health facilities in Jacobabad, her mother had to bring Khadija to Karachi for her treatment. For that she has taken her daughter to Karachi where she has no relative. This traveling only became possible after the financial help from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister had approved the treatment of Kahdija Qadeer on humanitarian grounds and sanctioned Rs. 2.830 million for her bone marrow transplant.

According to doctors at National Institute of Blood Disease & Bone Marrow Transplantation Karachi where Khadija is admitted, her bone marrow transplant is expected within two weeks time, however one million rupees are further required to get those medicines.

“Although money has been transferred through Prime Minister fund for BMT but medicines are expansive. The patient does not have a strong financial family support. However we will not delay the operation. Hospital is doing it s best so that she can get those medicines,” said Dr Saqib Ansari, a haematologist at the National Institute of Blood Diseases (NIBD).

Khadija was diagnosed thalassaemia when she was seven months old.

Thalassemia is a group of inherited blood disorders that inhibit production of red blood cells and hemoglobin. It is very important to get pre-marital screening to for a couple. Both partners can transmit this gene to their children in future. But in Mrs Qadeer’s case it was not. “I am my husband are cousins and both are thalassaemia career. Both of us didn’t go for pre marital test due to lack of unawareness,” said mother of Khaidija.

Her mother is also donor for Khajida for bone marrow transplant. “I would appeal people to donate blood since she has rare group.

According to Dr Saqib, in past Khadija didn’t get any treatment. Now when the treatment has started at NIBD, definitely it is taking time so make patient ready for the BMT. Luckily we got a donor for BMT.

The survival chances of this child are 80 percent, he added.

According to Mrs Qadeer, she would face residential problem once BMT is done.

“I am very thankful to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who approved a hefty amount for Khadija’s medical expanses. But I would also appeal him to solve my residential problem,” she said. “After the bone marrow transplant is done, the treatment would require me to stay and I don’t have place to live here.”