Sickle cell disease yesterday claimed its 25th victim in Bahrain this year with the death of a 47-year-old man who was scheduled to leave for Germany for treatment.

Bahrain Society for Sickle Cell Anaemia Patient Care chairman Zakareya Ebrahim Al Kadhem said he had been saddened by yet another death of a sickle cell patient.

"From what we gather from the hospital and his family, we feel his death has not been a case of negligence," he said.

Alkadhem said it was unfortunate sickle cell patients from Bahrain had to travel abroad to seek treatment options.

"We have been trying to get bone marrow transplant treatment in Bahrain, but the ministry has been telling us they are working on certain procedures,” he added.

Many of the deaths of sickle cell patients in Bahrain this year were allegedly due to a critical shortage of beds at the SMC and negligence, the society had maintained.

The ministry announced in April that the SMC would soon have a new BD2.5 million ($6.63 million) sickle cell and genetic diseases centre.

The project is part of a host of new facilities, including a critical care unit, modern central pharmacy, an expanded morgue and a police station.

Work has started on the 90-bed centre, which will have its own entrance and exit as well as a dedicated emergency room. It is due to be finished within two years.

The centre will have a 25-bed emergency room on the ground floor, with wards for children, men and women on the first, second and third floors. – TradeArabia News Service