'Punjab Thalassemia Prevention Authority' to be set up

In a bid to make the province of Punjab thalassemia free, the Punjab government is going to establish 'Punjab Thalassemia Prevention Authority' and a committee headed by VC FJMU Professor Fakhar Imam has been constituted, to submit ToRs for proposed authority within a week.
Punjab Minister for Specialised Healthcare & Medical Education Khawaja Salman Rafiq, while reviewing the performance of Punjab Thalassemia prevention programme, said here Friday that necessary steps are being taken to eradicate this disease. Besides Secretary Specialised Healthcare & Medical Education Najam Ahmad Shah, Vice Chancellor Fatima Jinnah Medical University Professor Dr Fakhar Imam, Special Secretary Health Dr Sajid Chohan, Additional Secretary Health Development Musarrat Jabeen, Project Director PTPP Dr Shabnum Bashir and other officers attended the meeting.
It was informed that thalassemia prevention programme is running in 24 districts and the scope of the programme is being expanded upto 36 districts. Dr Shabnum Majeed informed that counselling programme for pre-marriage thalassemia test is also in progress. She said that draft law has been sent to the Punjab Law Department for making pre-marriage thalassemia test of the couple mandatory to check spread of thalassemia. She informed that prenatal screening facility is also being extended while DNA test and hematology laboratory equipments have also been installed. Secretary Health Najam Ahmad Shah said that government desired to extend the scope of haematology laboratory and other genetic disorder tests would also be included in the programme.