Building Love for Thalassemia Officially Launches Healthy China Tour - First Stop in Dehong Prefecture

Building Love for Thalassemia Officially Launches Healthy China Tour - First Stop in Dehong Prefecture

May 8th marks the 30th annual World Thalassemia Day. In support of government efforts to advance thalassemia prevention and control, the Beijing Jingyan Foundation officially launched the Building Love for Thalassemia - Healthy China Tour on May 5th. This initiative focuses on offering free screenings, trainings for healthcare professionals, and workshops on prevention strategies in high-prevalence areas, with the ultimate goal of achieving "zero thalassemia" in China.

Thalassemia is a common inherited disorder that poses significant risks to patients’ quality of life and survival while placing a substantial economic burden on families and society, thereby affecting the overall population health in China. In 2018, the Beijing Jingyan Foundation launched the Building Love for Thalassemia Action project. The project provides financial support for children from underprivileged families with severe thalassemia to undergo hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and offers assistance to those facing severe post-transplant complications. It also works to raise public awareness in high-prevalence areas, focusing on prevention efforts and striving toward the ultimate goal of eradicating thalassemia.

Every year on May 8th, we observe "World Thalassemia Day," with this year's theme set by the National Health Commission being "Thalassemia Prevention and Control: Focus on Screening." The Building Love for Thalassemia Action initiative, which has consistently integrated both intervention and prevention efforts, is now undergoing an exciting upgrade. In addition to continuing its strong support for impoverished children with severe thalassemia, the initiative is intensifying its focus on prevention. It has officially launched the Healthy China Tour, which aims to assist local governments in implementing a comprehensive, three-tier prevention strategy. This includes pre-marriage and pre-pregnancy screening, prenatal prevention, and early diagnosis and treatment for children with thalassemia. Through this effort, we seek to advance and strengthen thalassemia prevention and control in regions with high prevalence.

Starting in May, the Beijing Jingyan Foundation will launch the Healthy China Tour under the Thalassemia Action initiative across provinces with high prevalence rates, including Yunnan, Jiangxi, Hainan, Guangxi, and Guizhou. Specialist teams will visit local communities to offer free consultations, follow-up care, and awareness campaigns aimed at improving understanding and prevention of thalassemia. The Healthy China Tour will also provide educational courses on thalassemia, train healthcare professionals in hematology, pediatrics, and prenatal diagnosis at local hospitals, and establish an online platform for communication. This platform will enable timely responses to challenges faced by grassroots doctors in thalassemia prevention and control, supporting the implementation of effective measures in high-risk regions.

The first stop of the "Healthy China Tour" is in Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. In collaboration with the Yunnan Provincial Health Commission, Yunnan Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Dongguan Taixin Hospital Southern Chunfu (Children’s) Hematology Research Institute, Dehong Prefecture Health Commission, Dehong Maternal and Child Health Hospital, and Kunming Yixing Community Development Service Center, the Beijing Jingyan Foundation will organize a free medical consultation and screening event at Dehong Maternal and Child Health Hospital, where a team of leading hematology experts could provide their expertise.

In addition to the screenings, a two-day training will be held for grassroots healthcare professionals on thalassemia prevention, with approximately 150 local medical staff expected to attend. To ensure access for those unable to attend in person, the training sessions will be streamed live on the National Cloud Maternity and Childcare telemedicine platform, enabling all maternal and child health hospitals across Yunnan Province to participate remotely.

At the launch event, Ms. YE Zi, Secretary-General of the Beijing Jingyan Foundation, shared that after years of dedicated work in thalassemia relief and prevention, 630 children with thalassemia have successfully overcome the challenges of the disease through the Building Love for Thalassemia Action initiative. Looking ahead, the Foundation will continue to intensify its efforts to support impoverished thalassemia patients, expanding public education, free screenings, and training for grassroots healthcare professionals in high-prevalence areas. The aim is to raise awareness of thalassemia and help more families overcome the burden of the disease, with the ultimate goal of achieving zero thalassemia in China.

Since its founding in 2015, the Beijing Jingyan Foundation has remained dedicated to safeguarding life and health, with a particular focus on children from disadvantaged backgrounds facing severe medical conditions. The foundation addresses critical childhood diseases such as thalassemia, congenital heart disease, and premature birth. Through partnerships with leading hospitals and philanthropic organizations, it has built accessible, high-quality medical networks, streamlined application processes, and established efficient, transparent approval mechanisms to ensure children receive comprehensive medical support. These efforts have greatly enhanced the diagnosis and treatment of serious illnesses in underdeveloped areas. As of April, the foundation has organized nearly 100 public awareness campaigns in collaboration with local governments and medical institutions, benefiting 1,005 children and providing a total of approximately 53 million RMB in funding.