A new project to strengthen the treatment of blood-related diseases in children was inaugurated at Bangladesh Children’s Hospital and Institute (BSHI) in the capital on Sunday (August 24, 2025). The initiative titled “Strengthening the Medical System for Hematological Diseases in Children in Dhaka District” was attended by the Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh, Mr. Saida Shinichi.
At the inauguration ceremony, Ambassador Saida Shinichi said, “I hope that this project will significantly improve the treatment of hematological diseases in children in Dhaka and across the country.”
With the support of the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGHSP) of the Japanese Government, a refrigerated centrifuge machine, a plasma storage freezer and an automated apheresis machine have been installed at BSHI. With the help of these state-of-the-art equipment, it will be possible to separate different blood components in the hospital and safely transfuse blood components for pediatric patients.
From now on, children suffering from blood cancer and thalassemia will be able to receive improved and risk-free treatment, which will help reduce complications such as graft versus host disease.
Every year, about 8,000 newborns in Bangladesh are affected by thalassemia and many children suffer from blood cancer. Due to lack of equipment, BSHI had to collect blood components from private hospitals at high cost. This created additional financial pressure on families and at least 90 children were left out of treatment every year. With the addition of this new equipment, about 4,200 pediatric patients from all over the country will now be able to receive life-saving blood component transfusion services at BSHI at low cost.
It is worth noting that since 1989, the Japanese government has provided assistance to a total of 221 NGO projects in Bangladesh under the GGHSP program, with a financial amount of about 17.5 million US dollars. These initiatives are mainly contributing to strengthening economic and social human security at the grassroots level.
