The Mission Hospital, Durgapur starts providing comprehensive treatment of thalassemia and all its complications

Monday, Nov 09,2015

The Mission Hospital Durgapur proudly announced introduction of comprehensive thalassemia care for all patients suffering from thalassemia. The Dept of Haematology and the Dept of transfusion Medicine of Mission Hospital Durgapur, working in collaboration, offering treatment of thalassemia patients through not only blood transfusion but also management of all other complications of thalassemia.
 
In this occasion, the hospital arranged a seminar “THE THALASSEMIA UPDATE- TRANSFUSION AND BEYOND”, to provide information regarding importance of comprehensive management of thalassemia. The programme was attended by not only physicians, and medical students, but also parents of thalassemic childrens and NGOs working for thalassemics in the district. Dr Satyajit Bose, Chairman, The Mission Hospital, Durgapur unveiled an all new ‘Thalassemia Patient Record Book’, which will help to monitor the progress of treatment and development of any complication.
 
Thalassemia is a major health problem in India and approximately 1 in 14 of the population are carriers for one of the sub types. Though regular blood transfusions are mainstay of therapy but cannot prevent the complication arising from excess iron deposition in liver or heart. Comprehensive thalassemia management includes management of all complications including iron chelation (removal of iron). Studies have shown that early adoption of this strategy from early childhood can dramatically improve the quality of life and transform thalassemia from a rapidly fatal disease to a chronic disease compatible with prolonged life.
The high cost of treatment, repeated blood transfusion and chelation therapy, treatment of other complications and economic burden associated with it on family resources, all suggest that prevention is better than cure. Therefore, there is also an urgent need to make people aware of this lethal disease and its prevention. Health education is an important component in prevention of such genetic disorders. This requires proper health education and adequate information regarding thalassemia screening tests before marriage or pregnancy to prevent birth of a new thalassemia patient.
 
The Mission Hospital, Durgapur seizes the opportunity to provide awareness cum health education by arranging an informative seminar on thalassemia, “THE THALASSEMIA UPDATE- TRANSFUSION AND BEYOND”. The Hospital already has in place safe transfusion programme, by which the patients receive filtered blood product at regular interval. Dept of Haematology provides consultation service regarding the chelation therapies and management of cardiac and hepatic complications, as well as monitoring of growth and development of thalassemic children. The Pathology and Biochemistry Dept provides thalassemia screening service for detection of carrier in pregnant women and pre marital couples.  The Mission Hospital also aspires to provide a Bone Marrow Transplant programme for complete cure of thalassemia. Through all these activities the hospital vows to provide a better future for thalassemic patients in rural districts of Bengal and adjoining states. The tag line “Making Every Cell Count” is actually meant to reach out to every thalassemic patient, and provide them an opportunity of a healthy life. The occasion provided a nice initiation of such an endeavor towards achieving a better thalassemia care.