Hosp marks world thalassemia day

Chennai: Marking world thalassemia day 2026, the Apollo Cancer Foundation along with Apollo Speciality Hospitals, Teynampet on Thursday reaffirmed its commitment to improving access to advanced treatment for children battling thalassemia, while celebrating the journeys of 30 survivors.The foundation announced that it would continue strengthening paediatric haematology and thalassemia care through advanced bone marrow transplant (BMT) programmes, awareness initiatives, early diagnosis support and long-term patient care across India.As part of its efforts, Apollo Cancer Foundation, in association with Coal India Limited, is supporting access to bone marrow transplantation for children from economically weaker backgrounds under the thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojana initiative. Apollo Hospitals said it has completed over 500 thalassemia bone marrow transplants, with the programme recording a 93% thalassemia-free survival rate. The hospital group has also introduced haplo-identical transplants for children without fully matched donors.Dr Preetha Reddy said greater awareness, early screening and timely treatment could significantly improve outcomes for children affected by thalassemia.