Ministry of Islamic Affairs has sponsored 32 patients to undergo bone marrow transplant procedures from the Zakat Fund. At a ceremony held, the sponsorship letters were presented to the patients by First Lady Fathimath Ibrahim.
Under the sponsors, the Maldivian Government will spend approximately USD 58,400-64,900 on every patient. The government sponsored expenses include the cost for bone marrow transplant, round tickets for four persons and accommodation cost for three months. The National Social Protection Agency (NSPA) revealed that if additional surgery expenses are needed, it will be arranged by the government.
Noting that the government has established facilities in 13 atolls by the end of 2017, Minister of Health Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim said Thalassemia screening facilities will be established in all inhabited islands of the country.
img:http://s2.psmnews.mv/images/660x400/15159959435700.jpg|
In the past two years, the Maldivian Government provided over USD 1.2 million dollars from Zakat Fund to sponsor bone marrow transplant procedures for patients. In this regard, the Government sponsored 19 patients in 2015 out of which 12 successfully completed bone marrow transplants, while in 2016 3 out of the 6 patients sponsored successfully completed bone marrow transplants.
President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom pledged to sponsor at least 25 patients to undergo bone marrow transplant procedures within his first term in office. The pledge has been well achieved, with 57 patients having undergone bone-marrow transplant procedures to date.