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New Genetic Screening Will Help Cut Long-term Treatment Costs

The expanded plan is being based on regional outcomes that suggest the need for early screening due to an increase in such disorders. A pilot study on these disorders will also soon be started by the ministry locally.

The programme will now check for 25 more disorders from the existing five that currently only test for blood and kidney disorders.

Convulsions and epilepsy fits due to metabolic disorders, heart, muscles and diseases of the brain are going to be screened under the new programme.

Launched in 1995, the early detection programme for genetic conditions in newborns has screened over 660,000 children till date and has helped give timely treatment to over 40 patients each year.

Thirty five more cases have been detected in the entire country since the beginning of this year, said Dr Hajar Al Hosni, who oversees the programme as a director of the Maternal and Child Welfare Department in the ministry.

“We are increasing the number of genetic conditions to be screened following recommendations from the World Health Organisation,” she said, adding that the programme has helped catch and initiate treatment at initial stages in several children.

She also said that screening for mental, thyroid and metabolic disorders as well as skin diseases are being given priority in the UAE since recent studies carried out in Saudi Arabia and Qatar listed these disorders as important. “About 95 per cent of people living in the UAE are covered through the programme,” she added.

Inclusion of new screening conditions can help detect and cure up to 100 more cases in a year, according to Dr Mohammed Salah, consultant, Genetic Diseases at the Centre for Early Detection of Genetic Diseases and Congenital Deformities in Abu Dhabi.

“The cost of treating one person with a mental or physical disability is Dh3 million and the cost to expand the programme to cover 25 more genetic conditions is only Dh2 million which is obviously very cost effective,” he said.

Thalassemia, the most common genetic blood disorder in the UAE, however, is not covered under the programme. “Thalassemia genes can only be detected after the child is one year old but we take samples from a four-day-old child,” explained Dr Salah. Sickle cell anaemia in which the body makes abnormal haemoglobin is covered under the programme which is free for both UAE nationals and expatriates.

Samples of the tests that are only conducted after parents give verbal approval are sent to the centre’s laboratory in Abu Dhabi.

Arrival of a new machine at the centre in a month’s time will also launch a hearing screening programme for neonates. “Nearly 1-3 per cent of babies have hearing problems which are not detected until later,” he added.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com

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