ASHA – Thalassemia Center

ASHA – Thalassemia Center is a clinic established by Bangladesh Thalassemia Foundation in May 2008 to provide comprehensive care to the thalassemia patients. It is located in the heart of capital city Dhaka. The center is named after “Ashfaque Shahjahan (ASHA) Memorial Fund” in recognition of their generous financial contribution in starting the center. It consists of eight beds with capacity of giving 16 transfusions a day in two sifts. There are 5 employees for this center including a doctor and nurse. The goal of this center is to provide the patients with best possible care. The patients get day care blood transfusion, iron chelation, medical consultation, and counselling and essential laboratory tests all under one hood. We are looking forward to establish a blood bank and an in-house laboratory soon.Day care transfusionThe center is unique that it arranges blood for the patients so that patients and their guardians need not go through the hassle of procuring blood from blood banks. We give day care transfusion under supervision of a doctor. We have a skilled nurse who is expert in venepuncture in pediatric and adult patients. We follow the guideline published by Thalassemia International Federation. There is a clinical record system where the patient data are recorded and compared for monitoring progress. Laboratory ServiceAll the essential blood tests are available in this center. The blood samples are collected but the nurse and the test are carried in a nearby commercial specialized laboratory. Medical consultation & counsellingWe provide medical consultation to the patients and refer them to specialist if required. We provide counseling to the patient and families regarding treatment and prevention.Pre-natal diagnosisWe arrange prenatal diagnosis for the thalassemia carrier couple at Thalassemia DNA Laboratory at Department of Pediatric Hemato-oncology, BSMMU, Dhaka. We also have collaboration with the centers at Kolkata, India. The ambiance of the centre is really pleasant and is liked by our patients and visitors. The clinic remains open 7 days a week from 9:00AM to 5:00PM except Sunday when day care transfusion and laboratory service remain closed. Correspondence:Contact:  Riffat Laila                 Administrative CoordinatorAddress:  44/2 Chamelibagh, Shantinagar                 Dhaka 1217                 Bangladesh                 Phone: +880 2 8332481                             +880 119 084 0191                 Email: info@thals.org Few snaps of the center: