KARACHI: Parents of an infant suffering from congenital disorders sought philanthropists` help for treatment on Tuesday at a presser organisedbyHaemophilia Welfare Society (HWS) at its premises.

`My 18-month-old son was born with a heart disease. Later, within a few months, we came to know that he also suffers from haemophilia,` said Saman Afif, a resident of Gulistan-i-Jauhar, while addressing the press briefing along with her husband Afif Ahmed.

The family had spentwhatever money they had with them on treatment, she added.

The parents appealed to philanthropists to help save their only son.

President HWS Raheel Ahmed and haematologist Dr Munira Burhani told journalists that the heart disease the child suffered from was tetralogy of Fallot, a birth defect that affected normal blood flow through the heart.

`This happens when a baby`s heart does not form correctly as the baby grows and develops in the mother`s womb during pregnancy,` they explained.

The child, they said, had four heart defects and would be operated upon in three stages in four years.

`The complete treatment will cost around Rs12.5 million,` said Raheel Ahmed, adding that the society wouldprovide anti-haemophilia Factor 9 injections costing about Rs2m.

`It is not possible to manage the amount required for treatment without philanthropists` assistance.

To a question, doctors said haemophilia was mostly an inherited genedc disorder that impaired the body`s ability to make blood clots, a process needed to stop bleeding. This resultedin bleeding for a longer time after an injury, easy bruising and anincreased risk of bleeding inside joints or the brain.

Dr Munira Burhani said the child needed to be admitted to a hospital where all relevant departments were available for treatment during the operation.

It would be a big challenge to stop bleeding after surgery, she said in reply to a question.