Punjab Thalassaemia and Other Genetic Disorders Prevention & Research Institute is an initiative of Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education Department, Government of the Punjab. It aims for a Thalassaemia Major free Pakistan. PTGD was developed keeping in view the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the vision of the Government of Punjab. Dr. Hussain Jafri, Director General, PTGD is leading a team of dynamic individuals towards the fulfillment of the goals and objectives of the institute.
There is a high prevalence of genetic conditions in Pakistan. Beta Thalassaemia is the most common genetic disorder in the country with a gene prevalence rate of approximately 6%. This translates that six out of every 100 Pakistanis carry this mutant gene. With a population of over 220 million, around 13.2 million people are healthy carriers of defective beta thalassaemia gene. The cultural tradition of consanguineous marriages in Pakistan has resulted in the increase in number of thalassaemia affected children, making it a significant public health problem. Since there is no effective treatment available for this disorder, the only hope lies in adopting a preventive program on the lines pursued by countries like Cyprus and Iran, which has resulted either in complete control of thalassaemia major or significant reduction in the prevalence of thalassaemia major births in these countries.
In this regard, a provincial project titled 'Punjab Thalassaemia Prevention Programme' was initiated in 2009 - 2010, which showed excellent results. The Government has decided to enhance the scope of the project to other genetic conditions as well. Therefore, the project has been converted to a regular institute under Fatima Jinnah Medical University from July 2021 and titled Punjab Thalassaemia and Other Genetic Disorders Prevention and Research Institute (PTGD). The scope of the newly established institute is to provide prevention and screening services for thalassaemia and other genetic conditions across Punjab.