Thalassaemia center opened<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): First Lady Tien Soeharto inaugurated a
\nthalassaemia center at the Cipto Mangunkusumo general hospital
\nhere on Saturday.<\/p>\n
During the ceremony, she urged rich people to lend a helping
\nhand to the Indonesian Foundation for Thalassaemia to help it in
\ncoping with the genetic disease in view of the fact that it is
\nvery expensive to treat sufferers.<\/p>\n
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it takes
\nUS$5,000 up to $7,000 per year to treat a thalassaemia patient
\noptimally. \"The expense is beyond the average financial capacity
\nof Indonesian people,\" Mrs. Tien Soeharto said.<\/p>\n
She then appealed to the public to make every effort to
\nprevent the occurrence of thalassaemia by avoiding marriage with
\npeople with a history of thalassaemia in their families.<\/p>\n
She said she hoped the thalassaemia center can provide
\ninformation about the genetic disease and help sufferers of
\nthalassaemia and their families.<\/p>\n
Head of the Indonesian Foundation for Thalassaemia, R.S.
\nMuseno, said that the foundation had arranged for the
\nconstruction of the first thalassaemia center building in
\nIndonesia. The three-story building standing on an 800-square-
\nmeter plot of land and the equipment it contains cost Rp 750
\nmillion ($350,000). The funds were collected from donators.<\/p>\n
At the moment there are 640 patients being treated at the
\nthalassaemia center. According to data available at the center
\nthere are 3,000 thalassaemia sufferers in Jakarta at present.<\/p>\n
Dr. Bulan Ginting, a physician at the center explained that a
\nblood test is required to determine whether a person has the
\ndisease.<\/p>\n
There are two kinds of thalassaemia: minor thalassaemia
\n(thalassaemia trait) and major thalassaemia. \"The major
\nthalassaemia is more dangerous because the patient cannot produce
\nred blood cells normally,\" Bulan said.<\/p>\n
He added that medical treatment for thalassaemia patients is
\ncarried out through regular blood transfusions every four to six
\nweeks. (29)<\/p>",
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