The National Day for Special Diseases (May 7) was observed in a ceremony at Tehran’s Takhti Sports Complex. “This complex has made it a priority to facilitate the involvement of people with special diseases in sports and encourage them to become more physically active,” said Hamidreza Garshasbi, head of the Sports Ministry’s provincial department, Borna News Agency reported. Fatemeh Hashemi, head of the Charity Foundation for Special Diseases, said special diseases encompass those that need constant caring and treatment such as MS, hemophilia, thalassemia, cancer, kidney failure, diabetes, and autism. “Half of the dialysis machines (2,500) in the country are supplied by our foundation,” she said. The foundation, an NGO, was established in 1995 with the support of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, chairman of the Expediency Council and a former president, with the objective of “creating national will” to address issues facing patients with special diseases, among others, IRNA reported.
