Before appearing for their ninth-grade examinations, every child will be screened for diseases including thalassemia as part of the provincial government’s school health screening scheme, caretaker health minister Dr Javed Akram said in a meeting on Thursday.
According to the minister, the project will protect the present and future generations from dangerous diseases.
“The school health screening program will prove to be a game changer. Children are being exhibited on such a large scale for the first time in the history of Pakistan. Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has decided to start a school health screening program to protect children from dangerous diseases,” said Dr Akram.
He added that the Punjab Cabinet would give the final approval to the legislation proposed by the Law Department. Punjab Health Care Commission will play an important role in health examination of children.
The minister said that the steering committee will review all technical aspects in this regard. The meeting was held in the Department of Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education under the chairmanship of Dr. Akram and Dr. Jamal Nasir, both of whom reviewed the blood test arrangements for class IX students in educational institutions in Punjab.
The caretaker minister of primary and secondary health care department said that Punjab Health Care Commission will audit all the laboratories related to child health examination.
Families of patients with dangerous diseases like thalassemia go through extreme pain every day. Parents can save their children from lifelong disabilities through school health screening programs, he said.
