November 3, 2017 - Comprehensive Thalassaemia Care Centre established

The city of Mumbai was presented with the gift of the first Comprehensive Thalassaemia Centre, which will cover prevention, care and cure of Thalassaemia under one roof. The Centre is the brain child of Dr. Mamta Manglani, one of the leading haematologists in the country. It is an initiative of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), supported by the Tata  Trusts, and aimed at providing quality care to patients belonging to lower-income families. Think Foundation is the NGO Partner with the Centre.

Dr. Mamta Manglani, who is the Director of the Centre, has enlisted the support of the Vice President of Think Foundation from the time of identifying the venue to the planning and execution of the project. MCGM played a major role by providing a building for the Centre and undertaking to take care of the recurring costs of running the Centre. Tata Trusts came forward to meet the capital expenditure which included civil renovation, electrical work, plumbing, air-conditioning, equipment, furniture and fixtures. 

The Centre has a Day Care facility for thalassaemia patients, doctors for multi-disciplinary care, blood storage unit, irradiation facility, laboratory for diagnostic tests and screening for thalassaemia minor, operation theatre for pre-natal diagnosis and harvesting of stem cells, facility for pediatric haematology-oncology, and an 8-bedded Stem Cell Transplant facility.

The ball was set rolling on 3^rd November 2017 with the first set of thalassaemia patients receiving blood transfusions at the new Centre. 103 persons living with Thalassaemia Major in the western suburbs of Mumbai have registered at the Centre. They will receive comprehensive care, which will include regular transfusion of leuko-depleted Red Blood Cells, iron chelation (medicines for taking care of iron overload), and periodic investigation as per guidelines of the Thalassaemia International Federation. Other persons living with Thalassaemia Major in the rest of the city will also benefit from the free multi-disciplinary consultancy which will be offered on an “out-patient” basis. In the second phase it is planned to increase the number of registrations at the Centre

All Thalassaemia Day Care Centres established by Think Foundation will benefit from this unique Centre, which will act as a hub for all activities. Workshops will be held for medical personnel from all over the state, and various projects launched for all thalassaemia patients in the state.

The Centre will actively carry out the exercise of identifying patients who are eligible for stem cells transplants all across the state. Such patients will be managed before, during and after the transplant. The Centre will take the responsibility of identifying sponsors for making the entire process of transplant with least burden to the patient.