Govt mulls law to declare thalassemia test mandatory

LAHORE:A thalassemia awareness seminar was held here on Wednesday at the Government College University (GCU) Lahore under the auspices of its Blood Donor Society (BDS) and a non-government organisation (NGO), Kashif Iqbal Thalassemia Care Centre (KITCRC).

Adviser to Chief Minister on Health Hanif Khan Pitafi was the chief guest at the seminar which was addressed by Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Asghar Zaidi and KITCC representative Asif Hameed Butt.

Speaking on the occasion, Health adviser Hanif Khan Pitafi said that the government was working on a law to declare thalassemia test mandatory for couples before marriages to reduce chances of this fatal disease. He asked students to act as volunteers in their families and areas, and also use social media to raise awareness about this genetic disorder.

Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Asghar Zaidi said prevention case is always better than cure. He paid glowing tribute to NGOs working for thalassemia prevention and care, saying that said thalassemia major child had a very difficult and painful life and in order to survive, these children require regular monthly blood transfusions. He also lauded the efforts of Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid for improving health care facilities in Punjab, in particular thalassemia and Alzheimer.

Earlier, KITCC Asif Hameed Butt said, “thalassemia minor or carrier is not a disease and normally does not require any medical treatment, but when one carrier marries another; they could have a chance of having an offspring with thalassemia major which is dreadful and fatal”.

He said the ratio of thalassemia carriers was high in families where cousin marriages were common. A plea was made by the seminar participants to enact the law to declare thalassemia test mandatory for couples before marriages.

plan to control quackery: The Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department (PSHD) has prepared a comprehensive plan to control quackery in Punjab and decided to blacklist the rental place of quacks and cancel the registration of those doctors who help non-professional doctors in their nefarious business.

The decisions were taken at a meeting of the PSHD and Punjab Healthcare Commission which was jointly chaired by Health Secretary Captain (r) Muhammad Usman and PHC Chief Executive Officer Dr Shuaib Khan. The meeting was attended by the Health Services DG and representatives of the district administration and Young Doctors Association. Muhammad Usman said that decisive action against quacks would be launch very soon across Punjab. He said that the department would not only take action against the quacks but also hold disciplinary action against anti-quackery team members in case of finding any negligence in the line of duty under the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability (PEEDA) Act. He said that quacks usually escaped punishment due to incomplete evidence.