Islamabad - Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM) has planned to set up state-of-the-art new thalassaemia centres in major cities of the country to provide medical assistance to needy and deserving patients.
These centres to be established in other cities would be helpful for the children suffering from thalassaemia as they needed continued special medical care, Managing Director PBM, Barrister Abid Waheed Sheikh said in an interview with APP on Friday.
He said that it was a high time to create awareness among the people about thalassaemia preventive measures through proper counselling. He added PBM would take every possible step for controlling the disease in the country by providing medical assistance and awareness to the thalassaemia patients.
He said that thalassaemia was one of the inherited diseases, which was transmitted to the kids from their parents. In case parents were thalassaemia carrier then the child would be a thalassaemia major patient, he added.
He stressed that both men and women should have their blood tests before marriage. In this regard free test facility was available at newly established national thalassaemia centre at F-9 Park.
He said that during last one year PBM had provided medical assistance to 8000 people including 1000 people with thalassaemia assistance besides support to people suffering from others diseases.
Barrister Abid Waheed Sheikh said that the PBM had also launched many projects and schemes in other areas to help the needy and deprived people. The organization was providing social protection to the poor and marginalized segments of the society, he added.
He said in order to improve the working of PBM, on the direction of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, a complaint cell had been set up at PBM to address the genuine problems of needy people while one-window operation had also been working, he added. Following the vision of Nawaz Sharif, he said, the PBM was significantly contributing towards poverty alleviation through its poor-focused services and providing assistance to the destitute, widows and orphans.
Replying to a question, Barrister Abid Waheed Sheikh said, “I feel my prime responsibility to serve the vulnerable people of my country in the field of social protection including healthcare, education, rehabilitation, women empowerment and rehabilitation, irrespective of their religion, age, gender, caste, creed or political affiliation, enabling them to lead an honourable life in the society.”
He added grand task is required to address these social issues, for which a comprehensive plan has been devised on the basis of quantitative, qualitative, scientific and other empirical and integrated approaches.
Replying to another question, he said, “I’ve accepted this vital challenge to deal with the multi-dimensional issues of the poverty like hunger, illiteracy, diseases, age-related illness, low living standards of women and other serious concerns of the society.”
He said that PBM was established in 1992 by the then and current Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif with the aim to help the poor to come out of the vicious cycle of miseries. He said that PBM was running 35 Pakistan Sweet Homes throughout the country, having accommodation of several hundred orphan children. He added during his tenure 30 homes have been renovated.
He said that the PBM was also running great homes for senior citizens in order to help destitute people towards a happier and comfortable life with respect, dignity and protection having facilities including boarding, lodging, food, clothing, medical case, recreation etc.