The government has proposed key amendments to the Thalassemia Control Act designed to further streamline services and thalassemia prevention in the country.
The proposed amendment is designed to review the criteria of the post of Director General of Thalassemia and Hemoglobinopathies Center 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 Center 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 DG of the Thalassemia Center 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.
The new regulations will be formulated and made public within 30 days of the amendment coming into effect.