The Gadjah Mada University Thalassemia Research Group, which is a collaboration between the Faculty of Biology, the Faculty of Public Health Medicine and Nursing, the Faculty of Psychology, and the UGM Integrated Research and Testing Laboratory, is holding blood drives, educational seminars and thalassemia screening, which is a joint activity with PT. Astra Daihatsu through CSR programs. Blood Donation and Thalassemia Education Seminar is the first agenda of a series of activities.This activity was held on Saturday 17 December 2022 at the Tropical Biology Auditorium, Faculty of Biology UGM with resource persons dr. Alexandra W.S Pangarso M.Sc., Sp.A. from the Dept. Pediatric Health Sciences FKKMK UGM/ Dr. Sardjito Hospital and Moderator dr. Nur Imma Fatimah Harahap, Ph.D. from the Dept. Clinical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine FK-KMK UGM. Blood donation was held with the help of facilities from Red Cross Indonesia Sleman Regency. The Coordinator who is also Chair of the UGM Thalassemia Research Group, Dr. Niken Satuti Nur Handayani, M.Sc. stated that UGM students, lecturers and staff, Astra Daihatsu employees and the general public, even students from other universities, such as UNY; UIN Sunan Kalijaga, STPN Yogyakarta participated in the blood donation.
The Regional Head of the Astra Daihatsu Central Java Area, Mr. Ferry, in his remarks said that Daihatsu Astra has committed to supporting programs that benefit the community in five areas which are health, education, environment, entrepreneurship and technology, and has provided support to the thalassemia program over 11 years. This remarks received a response from the Dean of the Faculty of Biology UGM, Prof. Dr. Budi Setiadi Daryono, M.Agr Sc. In his remarks the Dean provided support and appreciation to Astra Daihatsu which has a Thalassemia Care Program. He hopes that the synergy of companies such as Astra Daihatsu with educational institutions, such as UGM, will continue to be improved to provide wider benefits to society.
One series of activities in this program is the thalassemia screening which will be held at the Clinical Pathology Laboratory of FKKMK UGM on 19-21 December 2022. Screening participants consisted of UGM lecturers, staff and students, high school students, prospective brides and grooms, employees of Astra Daihatsu Yogyakarta and the general public. Screening activities need to be carried out because it is the main strategy in preventing the increase in the number of people with diseases caused by genetic disorders. Screening aims to find out whether the subject is a carrier or not, hence if the subject is detected as a carrier, education can be given regarding the risks of marrying to another carrier. Thalassemia is one of the monogenic diseases with the highest prevalence in Indonesia and is the fifth largest BPJS expense after heart disease, cancer, stroke and kidney failure. The latest data in 2021 showed that there were 10,973 thalassemia patients in Indonesia.
Therefore, in 2022 through the UGM Chancellor’s Decree No. 788/UN1.P.II/KPT/HUKOR/2022 has been officially established by the UGM Thalassemia Research Group. The Research Group is expected to become a center of excellence and become a national reference in thalassemia diagnostics. One of the goals of this research group is to try to build a national collaboration network, and also to initiate a collective movement between research institutions, regional governments, and also the central government in realizing the National Program for Compulsory Thalassemia Screening.