Genetic disease screening programme held in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi: The Health Authority — Abu Dhabi (HAAD) organised a scientific programme on “genetic disease” in collaboration with Al Ain College of Medicine and Health Sciences.

The programme included workshops and lectures by a group of consultant haematologists, infectious disease and foetomaternal consultants from within and outside the country to Health care professionals who are working in “Premarital Screening Programme and Counselling”. This was arranged to provide maximum benefit desired for people in term of advice on genetic diseases.

This Programme came after a study monitored by the Health Authority about most prevalent genetic diseases in the like such as beta-thalassemia and sickle cell anaemia. Giving the right advice and awareness to the patient is under the responsibility of the doctors to reassure patients about their situation and guide them for their own health and to give them better imagination about their marriage future.

The programme included lectures and workshops to educate the doctors on how to give a better medical genetic counselling for those who are about to get married. Managers and lead physicians from all primary health care centres and representatives from ambulatory health care and representatives from Marriage fund, Ministry of Health, Dubai Health Authority and UAE genetic diseases association attended the workshops.

It is worth mentioning that the number of applicants who did the screening between April 2011 to the beginning of August 2012 has reached 19,267. However, 60 per cent of them were Emiratis.