Updated on 3 June 2008

The much anticipated Thalassaemia Screening Program for Africa has now been rolled out commencing with Zanzibar. The World Federation has been working closely with the Central Health Board (CHB) of Africa to develop and implement this very important program for our community members in Africa.

During The World Federation Triennial Conference in 2003, one of the action items in the strategic plan included that all community members should be screened for Thalassaemia by 2008. Unfortunately, at that time, there were no facilities or recourses, including equipment and technicians in Africa to carry this out.
 
In February 2007, during The World Federation Executive Council Meeting in Karachi, both the Central Health Board’s Chairman Aunali bhai Khalfan and the HIB Chairman Kamuruddin Khaki were present and had the opportunity to visit the Hussaini Blood Bank there. Together, they selected the most appropriate machine for Thalassaemia Screening which was then sourced from Italy. This specialized equipment took about seven months to deliver to Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. The World Federation then arranged for two experts from Karachi to travel to Tanzania to train health professionals there on how to operate the machine and carry out community screening for Thalassaemia.
 
Finally, after much discussion and planning for Thalassaemia Screening in Africa, the CHB has now successfully launched the implementation and testing of this program in Zanzibar, where the start of an innovative and improved health program for our brothers and sisters living in Africa has been initiated for years to come.

Click here to  read the Central Health Board’s Thalassaemia Progress Report produced for Zanzibar.

For further information, email health@world-federation.org’