The non-profit Sankalp India inaugurated a childcare home for bone marrow transplant on Saturday, attended by Bollywood star Jackie Shroff and renowned pediatric oncologist Dr Lawrence Faulkner.
The centre can accommodate patients post bone marrow transplant and is fitted with an in-house blood bank and a thalassemia day care centre. It can also support complex blood products, facilitate studies and research. The centre is sponsored by Jai Shivshakti Health and Educational Foundation and Karnataka Marwadi Youth Federation.
Shroff said it was important to create awareness about thalassemia.
“The primary motive of our organisation is to ensure that no child loses his/her life because of the lack of blood,” said Lalith Parmar, president, Sankalp India Foundation.
The foundation runs projects such as thalassemia day care centres and bone marrow transplant units across the country.
“My son Harshavardhan was diagnosed with thalassemia. The organisation helped us with his bone marrow transplant. They educated us about the disorder and supported us financially,” said Raju, who attended the event.
Dr Neema Bhat, pediatric oncologist and bone marrow specialist, urged people to learn about thalassemia and other blood disorders, while stressing on the need to take genetic tests to avoid its spread.
Published 19 December 2022, 21:22 IST