LAHORE: Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid said on Tuesday that law on pre-marriage thalassemia test will soon be introduced in the province.
Speaking as chief guest at a seminar organized by the Punjab Thalassemia Prevention Institute, Thalassemia Institute of Pakistan, Fatima Jinnah Medical University Lahore, Medical Research Council (UK) and University of Leeds on latest data on Thalassemia, the minister said an institute is being set up to conduct research on genetic diseases.
Present on the occasion were DG Punjab Thalassemia Prevention Institute Dr Hussain Jaffery, University of Leeds (UK) representative Dr Shahnaz, Dr Yasmin Ihsan, Monim Khan, Syed Adnan Jamil, Dr Mushtaq and children having thalassemia as well as their parents.
DG Thalassemia Prevention Institute, Dr Hussain Jaffery shared the details of services provided by the government to thalassemia patients in his welcome speech.
The health minister said: “I congratulate the organizers for holding a very important event on thalassemia awareness. The team of Dr Hussain Jaffery and Yasmin Ihsan deserve appreciation for conducting 7,000 pre-marriage thalassemia tests and now 85 percent of Punjab population knows about thalassemia.
An awareness booklet has been prepared on the disease with joint efforts of Punjab Thalassemia Prevention Institute and University of Leeds (UK). In the past, people used to distance themselves from thalassemia patients. Thalassemia is genetic disease that can be treated. Punjab is setting up an institute to conduct research on genetic diseases.
Prime Minister Imran Khan is going to distribute Sehat Cards among 31 million families of the province. Punjab will introduce law on mandatory thalassemia test before marriage. The services for thalassemia are being provided across the province all the way to DG Khan.
Research forms the basis of informed and evidence-based decision making.” Later talking to journalists, the health minister said that the purpose behind setting up of Child Health University is to initiate research on pediatric diseases. She said all medical universities have been asked to initiate research on thalassemia.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021