LAHORE – Thalassaemia has become a silent epidemic in Pakistan, with an estimated 100,000 children suffering from thalassaemia major—a preventable but life-threatening blood disorder.
Each year, 5,000 to 9,000 children are born with the condition, primarily due to low public awareness, cultural practices such as cousin marriages, and the lack of universal premarital screening.
Despite over 10 million Pakistanis carrying the thalassaemia gene, premarital screening remains non-mandatory, and widespread stigma continues to hinder progress.
On World Thalassaemia Day 2025, themed “Together for Thalassaemia: Uniting Communities, Prioritising Patients,” ChildLife Foundation has called for urgent nationwide reforms, including mandatory premarital screening, safe transfusion infrastructure, and public education campaigns to raise awareness and reduce the disease burden.
ChildLife Foundation remains unwavering in its commitment to emergency pediatric care and equitable access to life-saving services, ensuring that no child is left behind, regardless of geography or socioeconomic status. With 14 state-of-the-art Pediatric Emergency Rooms and a network of over 300 Telemedicine Satellite Centres in partnership with the government, ChildLife Foundation is on the frontlines of emergency pediatric care in Pakistan, especially in underserved and remote regions.
In 2024 alone, more than 8,400 children with known or newly diagnosed thalassaemia were treated in ChildLife ERs, often arriving in critical condition with severe infections, dangerously low haemoglobin levels, or iron overload complications—all consequences of late diagnosis and lack of routine care.
“Our ERs are often the first and only point of care for children with thalassaemia,” said Dr. Ahson Rabbani, CEO of ChildLife Foundation. “It is a tragedy that we are treating the preventable consequences of a system in need of urgent reform. We must shift from reactive care to preventive action.”
ChildLife not only provides emergency stabilisation and safe transfusions but also offers counselling through its network for long-term disease management. Yet, most families are left to bear the emotional and financial toll of lifelong care with minimal support.
As part of the global #PatientsFirst campaign, ChildLife urges policymakers, healthcare professionals, and communities to come together under the banner of #WeAre1—to create a future where no child suffers from a preventable condition, and every child with thalassaemia can survive and thrive.
