During a meeting on Thursday, Interim Health Minister Dr. Javed Akram announced that every child will undergo disease screenings, including thalassemia, before their ninth-grade exams as part of the provincial government’s school health screening project.
The goal of this project is to protect both current and future generations from dangerous diseases.
This program was initiated by Chief Minister (CM), Mohsin Naqvi, who prioritizes protecting children from harmful ailments.
The Punjab cabinet will review the proposed legislation and grant final approval after review by the law department. The Punjab Health Care Commission will play a crucial role in carrying out the health screening of children.
The technical aspects of the program will be meticulously examined by the steering committee, which met at the Department of Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education and was chaired by Dr. Akram and Dr. Jamal Nasir.
The committee reviewed measures related to blood screening of ninth-grade students in educational institutions across Punjab.
The caretaker minister of the primary and secondary healthcare department emphasized that the Punjab Health Care Commission will conduct audits of all laboratories involved in the health screening of children.
Dr. Akram spoke about the immense hardships endured by families of patients suffering from dangerous diseases like thalassemia.
He stressed that through the school health screening program, parents have the opportunity to protect their children from lifelong disabilities.
