Dr Zubaida Rahman, vice president of the Ziaur Rahman Foundation, has called for a nationwide database and maintained register for people living with thalassemia and other congenital rare diseases in Bangladesh. She made the appeal on Friday afternoon at the “Blood Donor Honour 2026” event at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh auditorium in Ramna, Dhaka, marking World Blood Donor Day. The Bangladesh Thalassemia Samity organized the programme.

Rahman said that while thalassemia patients may not be fully cured, patients and their families should receive reassurance through comfort and compassion. She urged screening for mothers during pregnancy and said the disease can be detected through screening tests at any age. She also called for greater public awareness and for diagnostic services to be expanded to district hospitals, upazila health complexes, union and village levels.

She proposed training 100,000 newly recruited health workers on thalassemia symptoms, treatment and ways to reassure patients. She also recommended classifying identified patients as thalassemia major, minor and trait. Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain pledged maximum possible financial support upon application and backed premarital blood testing. Blood donors and institutions involved in blood donation were honoured at the event.