What's happening in PresUniv
Monday, May 8, 2023, the Faculty of Medicine, President University (PresUniv), in collaboration with the Presidential Clinic, held a socialization event on Thalassemia titled Early Screening Realizing Zero Births from Thalassemia Major. The socialization event was held at the Charles Himawan Auditorium, Building A, PresUniv Campus, Jababeka Education Park, Cikarang. The speakers at the socialization event were Puspasari, Chairperson of the Bekasi Raya branch of the Indonesian Parents of Thalassemia Patients Association (POPTI), Dr Stefina Veronika, a doctor from the President Medical Center, and Anne Yasmine S.Psi, an actress and Thalassemia Girl. Besides socialization, free CBC Thalassemia screening was also conducted at the event.
Stefina explained that Thalassemia is a blood disorder due by a lack of haemoglobin (Hb) in red blood cells caused by human genetic factors. She also explained how Thalassemia is treated. "The most curative treatment for Thalassemia is bone marrow transplantation. However, in Indonesia, these are rare due to cost and suitable facilities, and the average success rate is only 50%," said Stefina. Puspasari confirmed Stefina's statement. She said, "The success rate of bone marrow transplantation is still low. In Indonesia, Thalassemia is mainly treated with blood transfusion, iron chelation therapy, and folic acid supplementation." That is why at this event, Stefina invited participants to screen for thalassemia early on as a preventive measure.
Furthermore, Anne shared her experience as a Thalassemia minor (carrier) and was educated about the risks of Thalassemia. "Coinciding with the commemoration of World Thalassemia Day with the theme Be Aware, Share and Care, I invite friends to be more aware of Thalassemia as a form of prevention." To build awareness about Thalassemia, Anne also invited participants to share their experiences through Tiktok and Instagram platforms with educational content and thalassemia prevention tips for the digital audience. (Keren Gracelie, PR team. Photo: Keren Gracelie)
