Social Welfare and Women and Children Affairs Minister Professor Dr. AZM Zahid Hossain has emphasized the importance of knowing whether individuals are thalassemia carriers before marriage. Speaking on Friday at a seminar organized by the Bangladesh Thalassemia Foundation Hospital in Malibagh, Dhaka, to mark World Thalassemia Day, he said that thalassemia is a congenital blood disorder that only affects children when both parents are carriers.

The minister stated that the government is committed to ensuring healthcare for all under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. He noted that one in nine people in Bangladesh carries the thalassemia gene, and around 8,000 children are born with the disease each year. He called for increased awareness through print and electronic media to prevent thalassemia and urged media outlets to create and broadcast educational content on the issue.

Before the seminar, the minister visited various wards of the hospital’s daycare unit, spoke with patients, and inquired about their treatment services.