Ministry of Health has sponsored five children to undergo bone marrow transplants. The sponsorship certificates were awarded to the children at a special ceremony by Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr. Ahmed Zahir.
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Health Ahmed Naseem said that the administration is focused on providing affordable medical treatment to children with Thalassemia. As such, he said that the administration has decided to construct a new building for the Maldivian Blood Service in Hulhumale' to solve the challenges they face in providing services. He said that blood bank services will be established at the facility and will be provided to all healthcare centres.
Additionally, Minister Naseem said that the administration is evaluating various treatments for thalassaemia conducted by other countries as part of its efforts to provide the most modern treatment to patients. He expressed confidence that the efforts will result in children receiving bone marrow transplants and vastly improving the quality of their lives.
A bone marrow transplant is a medical procedure used to treat conditions that affect the bone marrow, such as thalassaemia. A bone marrow transplant for thalassaemia involves replacing the patient's diseased or dysfunctional bone marrow with healthy stem cells from a compatible donor. These stem cells can develop into healthy blood cells, including red blood cells that carry oxygen.
The goal of the transplant is to restore normal blood cell production and alleviate the symptoms of thalassaemia. This procedure is typically considered when other treatments have not been effective.