Thalassemia Patient Care Centre opens in Hulhumale', priority to patients from atolls

The Thalassemia Patient Care Center opened on Wednesday at the Orange Hiyaa.

The center was inaugurated by Male' City Group of Hospitals (MCGH) CEO Ibrahim Abdul Razzaq Haleem.

After inaugurating the Thalassemia Patient Care Centre, Haleem said the center was organized by a team of medical officers, public officers and counsellors.

Noting that there are many difficulties in providing specialised treatment to thalassemia patients living in the atolls, Haleem said the center will check on them. The center will call registered thalassemia patients every three months.

If a patient has difficulty seeing a doctor or needs advice, the center will contact the nearest atoll hospital in the area and coordinate to provide services, he said.

Further, Haleem said that the budget has now been allocated for the procurement of machinery and personnel required for the latest tests for thalassemia control. He said the goal is to do so as soon as possible.

The Thalassemia Centre, which has been in poor condition for a long time, was moved to the Orange Hiyaa in the first phase of Hulhumale' last May.

Some of the units at the center include a general ward for inpatients and blood transfusion patients. The ward has 12 beds and a six-bed ward for infants. A seven-bed ward for women has also been set up.

Maldives has a relatively high number of thalassemia patients. The Maldivian Blood Services (MBS) said last year that the demand for blood in Maldives is higher than in other countries. According to the MBS, about 70 percent of the donated and collected blood used in Maldives is used by people receiving treatment for thalassemia.