SARGODHA, PAKISTAN: The College of Agriculture at the University of Sargodha organised an awareness seminar titled “We Want Thalassemia-Free Pakistan” to highlight the importance of preventing thalassemia, reducing the spread of the inherited blood disorder and promoting voluntary blood donation.
The seminar was jointly organised by the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD), Sargodha district; Sargodha Police Department; Child Protection and Welfare Bureau, Sargodha; Pakistan Red Crescent Society, Sargodha; Give Life Foundation, Sargodha; and the university’s College of Agriculture.
Representatives of participating institutions, NCHD officials, faculty members and a large number of students attended the event, which focused on public awareness, disease prevention and the importance of blood donations for patients requiring regular transfusions.
Speakers and participants discussed the need to strengthen community awareness about thalassemia and encourage responsible measures to reduce the burden of the disease. Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that can require lifelong medical care, including regular blood transfusions in severe cases.
The event was attended by SP Investigation Sargodha Imran Abbas Chadhar; College of Agriculture Principal Prof. Dr. Ejaz Rasool Noorka; NCHD Sargodha Deputy Director Mehr Umar Daraz Jhawari; Child Protection and Welfare Bureau District Officer Syed Ali Abid Naqvi; and University of Sargodha Professor Dr. Humaira, focal person for the H1 Teach 1 programme.
Other attendees included Pakistan Red Crescent Society Assistant Director Dr. Mustansar Raza; Sargodha Chamber of Commerce senior executive member Shazia Mumtaz Bangash; Give Life Foundation Chairman Muhammad Usman Haseeb; and NCHD Sargodha Assistant Director Asif Ali Tarrar.
Representatives of the Associated Press of Pakistan, NCHD field officers, college faculty members and students also participated.
The seminar highlighted the role of educational institutions, public-sector organisations and civil society in spreading awareness about inherited blood disorders and encouraging voluntary blood donation.
