LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, in her message on the World Thalassaemia Day, has paid tribute to blood donors helping children suffering from thalassaemia and expressed solidarity with patients and their families.
She stressed the importance of timely diagnosis and prevention to combat thalassaemia, saying that pre-marital blood screening could help prevent the disease, while blood donations could give a new lease of life to affected children. She said creating public awareness regarding prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of thalassaemia was essential. The Punjab government is taking significant and revolutionary measures for prevention and treatment of the disease.
She said the Punjab Thalassaemia Prevention Act 2025 had been passed by the Punjab Assembly to help prevent thalassaemia. She said thalassaemia testing had been made mandatory for students at the time of admission to educational institutions. Bone marrow transplant treatment is being provided free of cost to children suffering from thalassaemia. She appealed for a widespread awareness campaign on thalassaemia and reiterated the government’s commitment to supporting patients and their families.
Meanwhile, PMLN supremo Nawaz Sharif on Friday chaired a meeting of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Parliamentary Board to finalise party candidates for the upcoming Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also attended the meeting which reviewed matters relating to AJK elections and approved the party’s candidates.
Members of the Parliamentary Board, including Khawaja Asif, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Pervaiz Rashid, Rana Sanaullah, Amir Muqam, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Anusha Rahman, Safdar Awan and Birjees Tahir participated in the session. AJK leaders Shah Ghulam Qadir, Farooq Haider, Mushtaq Minhas, Muhammad Saeed, Tariq Farooq, Dr Najib Naqi, Barrister Iftikhar Gilani and Abdul Rehman were also present.
