The Life without Thalassemia

On February 8, 2005, “round table” was held at the initiative of Heydar Aliyev Foundation on the theme “For Life Without Thalassemia” on thalassemia problems. Attended by representatives of international health organizations, diplomatic corps, big local and foreign companies, international experts, the event emphasized the high rate in the spread of thalassemia gene in a number of Azerbaijani districts, that average number of thalassemia-affected persons is 8% according to the number of population, and that the number of the persons suffering from the disease can reach 16.000 in 45 years if its prevention is not organized properly.  


Taking the importance of the problem into consideration, Heydar Aliyev Foundation constructed Thalassemia Center in Baku to create a qualified center and blood bank in Azerbaijan, prepare high-qualified personnel in the country, develop a voluntary donor service to provide safe and high quality blood to thalassemia-affected children, enlighten population to prevent the expansion of thalassemia and enhance cooperation with a number of states fighting thalassemia. The Center was opened on May 9, 2009.


The Center comprises 5 floors. Special attention was paid to the purpose of rooms and their placement by floors to ensure the staff’s convenient and high-level service, examination and cure of patients. The first floor includes registration department, donor center, doctor’s room, ultrasound examination, secondary rooms and a laboratory equipped with a device automatically identifying blood group. Second floor is polyclinic with chief doctor’s room, 2-segment transfusion hall, 12-room clinic, general laboratory, manipulation and ray diagnostics rooms. The third floor was designed for marrow transplantation surgery room, 5 single reanimation wards, 2 manipulation rooms, sterilization center, molecular diagnostics lab. 13 double wards, 4 single wards, game room for children. Fifth floor has cafe, diner, library, Internet center, 110-seat conference hall are on the fourth floor.