Ministry of HealthMinistry of Health

A package of genetic services will be provided through this centre, including genetic medicine, genetic counseling, and genetic health education, the centre will also be equipped with genetic labs covering Molecular genetics, Cyto-genetics and biochemical genetic. In addition to providing diagnostic and counselling services, the centre will also carry out a country-wide prevention programme through population education and training of clinicians; genetic laboratory scientists; counselors, and health educators.

Genetic health education will result in greater knowledge and awareness of the population, and will thus help reduce recessively inherited disorders. The first phase of the NGC project, i.e. its design work, has already been awarded to a consultancy firm. All medical specialities, which require genetic lab diagnostic facilities such as endocrinology, oncology, haematology, paediatrics, ophthalmology, psychiatry, and renal medicine, will be able to use this centre's facilities.

In the future, the proposed centre will be further developed into a centre of excellence dealing with diagnostics, treatment, research, human resource development and international collaboration in human genetics. The NGC project follows the establishment of the Molecular Genetic Labora-tory within the ministryministry's Central Public Health laboratory at Darsait a few years ago.

It offers immediate diagnostic aid to clinicians trying to diagnose conditions like Beta-Thalassaemia, Sickle Cell Disease, dysmorphic and mental retardation syndromes among others. A new project has come on stream recently making use of the lab facilities, to diagnose haematological cancers using molecular genetic technology.

Molecular genetic tests are now partly used in pre-marital counselling and pre-conception care including pre-conception screening as well. About 200 cases of inherited disorders could be prevented by correct diagnosis of the first affected child, carrier detection, and information and counselling. If these cases were not diagnosed in this way, then most such conditions would have been passed on to their offspring by their parents, who are healthy carriers of the disorders.

Premarital carrier screening for haemoglobin disorders and prenatal diagnosis could prevent the incidence of these disorders. A specific pre-marital examination clinic has been functioning in each region in Oman, providing pre-conception care. This comprises diagnosis, treatment and counselling for women and their optimal physical and mental health as well being to facilitate a normal pregnancy and delivery of a healthy infant, said Dr Ali Moosa.

By Hasan Kamoonpuri

© Oman Daily Observer 2008

 

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