Islamabad: Federal Minister for Health, Mustafa Kamal, has said that thalassemia tests are going to be made mandatory before marriage, and the first genetic policy will come in a month.
Addressing a press conference regarding genetic policy, the
Federal Health Minister said that Pakistan is going to become the fourth most
populous country in the world by 2030, while it is not easy for any country to
bear the burden of increasing diseases due to economic difficulties. If
effective measures are not taken, Pakistan can be among the top countries in
the spread of various diseases.
Mustafa Kamal said that the situation in the country's
hospitals is presenting a scenario of an epidemic, although there is no
specific epidemic, the health sector has now become a national security issue
and the current system is focused on treating diseases, while the focus should
be on preventing diseases.
The Federal Minister said that the government wants to move
towards a modern model of healthcare and genome profiling so that timely
diagnosis and prevention of hereditary and complex diseases can be made
possible. Work is underway on a proposal to make the thalassemia test mandatory
for both boys and girls before marriage.
He said that screening centers are being established across
the country, while 200 to 300 billion rupees are spent annually on the
treatment and diagnosis of genetic and hereditary diseases, Pakistan's first
comprehensive genetic policy will be introduced within the next month.
Mustafa Kamal further said that currently genetic tests are
conducted abroad by spending millions of rupees, however, through the new
policy, efforts will be made to make these facilities available within the
country so that better and less costly medical facilities can be provided to
the public.
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