May 15, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 9, 1429

NAWABSHAH, May 14: A fairly large number of 235 of 1,800 people, who had donated blood for thalassaemia patients at the camps organised by the Thalassaemia Care Centre in different areas of the district during last four months, were found hepatitis B and C positive, said the centre’s in-charge Dr Sadiq Siyal on Tuesday.

Of the 235, 160 were hepatitis C positive and 60 were B positive and most of the patients were in their 20s who never knew before they donated blood that they had the deadly disease, he said. The new patients were directed to get themselves registered at the Nawabshah Medical College Hospital for treatment, he added.

But the fact is that the NMC hospital has stopped registration and treatment of patients under the Prime Minister’s Programme for Prevention and Control of Hepatitis since June 2007 due to acute shortage of funds and therapy drugs.

Prof. Dr Gulshan Ali Memon, medical superintendent of NMC hospital, has recently purchased hepatitis C therapy injections from Rs500,000 of hospital funds, but they will cater to only 150 patients’ needs while the rest of registered and fresh cases will have to wait for indefinite period.