The Parliament has passed amendments to the Thalassemia Control Act, introducing new provisions on the appointment criteria for the Director General of Thalassemia Centre, as well as regulations concerning marriage between individuals at risk of having children with thalassemia.
The bill, proposed by Member of Parliament Ahmed Naseer, was passed with the support of 60 members who participated in the vote.
The amendments are designed to review the criteria of the post of Director General of Thalassemia and Hemoglobinopathies Centre and to legally define the responsibilities and duties of the post. The amendment also specifies the regulations for marriage of people who are likely to bear children with thalassemia.
According to the proposed amendment to the Thalassemia Control Act, the post of Director General of the Thalassemia Centre will be a civil service post. The appointment will be made by the Civil Service Commission on the recommendation of the Minister. The candidates are required to have at least a National Qualifications Framework Level 8 or 9 qualification in management and 10 years of work experience in the health sector.
The Director General of the Thalassemia Centre can be appointed for a term of five years and the criteria for the post are also detailed in the proposed amendment to the law.
The government has added a provision to the Act on marriage of thalassemia carriers who are likely to bear children with thalassemia. Currently, the law does not have a specific provision on such marriages, but carries a clause on voluntary testing for thalassemia.
The newly proposed provision states that couples must submit their thalassemia test result when seeking a marriage license. If the couple are considered to have children despite the risk of passing the thalassemia gene a marriage license can only be granted after completing a specially tailored programme that meets the requirements of a regulation made under the law.
According to the amendments, the government is required to develop and publish new regulations in relation to the changes within 30 days of the amendment coming into effect.