Punjab schools to begin health screenings

• CM Naqvi began project to protect children from dangerous diseases.
• Dr Akram terms school health screening project "game changer."
• Caretaker minister says children can be saved from lifelong disabilities via programme.

LAHORE: 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 project, Caretaker Health Minister Dr Javed Akram said in a meeting on Thursday.

The project, according to the minister, will protect present and future generations from dangerous diseases.

“The school health screening programme will prove to be a game changer. For the first time in the history of Pakistan, children are going to be screened on such a large scale. Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has decided to start a school health screening programme to protect children from dangerous diseases," Dr Akram said.

He added that the final approval of the proposed legislation by the law department will be given by the Punjab cabinet. The Punjab Health Care Commission will play an important role in the health screening of children.

The minister said that all technical aspects will be reviewed in this regard by the steering committee. The meeting was held in the Department of Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education under the chairmanship of Dr Akram and Dr Jamal Nasir, both of whom have reviewed the measures regarding blood screening of ninth-grade students in educational institutions in Punjab.

The caretaker minister of the primary and secondary healthcare department said that the Punjab Health Care Commission will audit all the laboratories regarding the health screening of children.

Families of patients suffering from dangerous diseases like thalassemia go through extreme pain every day. Parents can save their children from lifelong disabilities through the schools’ health screening programme, he said.