I feel privileged to welcome you to Punjab Thalassaemia and Other Genetic Disorders Prevention and Research Institute (PTGD) formerly Punjab Thalassaemia Prevention Programme. The PTGD is an initiative of Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education Department, Government of the Punjab and is attached with Fatima Jinnah Medical University, Lahore. It aims to provide prevention and screening services for thalassaemia and other genetic conditions through the provision of genetic screening and prevention services that include genetic counselling, premarital screening, extended family screening, prenatal diagnosis, awareness, research, and training in the province of Punjab. The PTGD has a vast network all over Punjab and is one of the largest thalassaemia prevention program in the world. All these services are provided through nine regional centers and labs functional in all the nine divisional headquarters of Punjab along with field staff present in all the 36 districts of the province.
I am also very pleased to inform that due to the successful implementation of thalassaemia screening and prevention services in Punjab, the Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education Department, Punjab has enhanced the scope of PTGD to provide screening and prevention services for other genetic conditions as well. In this regard, the PTGD is currently working towards the establishment of state-of-the-art molecular and cytogenetics labs that could provide highly specialized tests such as Sanger Sequencing, Whole Exome Sequencing, Whole Genome Sequencing, Next Generation Sequencing and latest Cytogenetic Testing. Therefore, we shall be able to upgrade and expand our services very soon by the grace of Almighty, which will go a long way in the prevention of genetic conditions in the province of Punjab.
Prof. Dr. Masuma Ghazanfar
Director General, PTGD