Disease prevention: Legislation must to control thalassemia, says minister

Thalassemia is a hereditary blood disorder that prevents the production of haemoglobin leaving the patient anaemic.

LAHORE: Pre-marital thalassemia test is mandatory to prevent the disease and legislation is essential for effective control, said Punjab Minister for Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Khawaja Salman Rafiq.

He was speaking at a media workshop on Thalassemia organised by the Punjab Thalassemia Prevention and Control Programme (PTPC) at Fatima Jinnah Medical University (FJMU) on Wednesday.

The minister said the health department had sent a draft to the law department and the legislation process would begin accordingly. Several countries like Greece, Maldives, Cyprus, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Iran have either reached zero level in thalassemia cases or have controlled it almost 90% through legislation, he added.

Thalassemia is a hereditary blood disorder that prevents the production of haemoglobin — the protein in red blood cells which carries oxygen to all parts of the body — leaving the patient anaemic.

Therefore, anyone afflicted with the disorder needs regular red blood cell-infusions.

PTDC Project Director Dr Shabnum Bashir said a DNA laboratory is functioning in which pre-natal and other diagnostic tests are being conducted.

Training is being provided to doctors in collaboration with UHS and FJMU, she said, adding that the PTPC conducted 846,55 tests of family members and detected 536 major thalassemia cases among pregnant women.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 13^th, 2017.