Pakistan begins work on national genomic policy

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has started work on a National Genomic Policy intended to strengthen disease prevention and improve health security, as the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination and the Health Services Academy held a high-level consultative meeting on the proposed framework.

The session brought together Pakistani and international specialists in genomics, genetics, molecular biology, public health and health policy. Participants included experts from Aga Khan University, Quaid-i-Azam University, the Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology in Lahore, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States. Those attending described the proposed policy as an important step for the country’s healthcare system.

Shift towards prevention

Federal Minister for National Health Services Syed Mustafa Kamal said Pakistan needed to move away from a model centred on treating disease and towards one focused on prevention. He underlined the role of genomics, early screening and precision medicine in lowering the burden of inherited and preventable illnesses and in reinforcing national health security.

During the meeting, Health Services Academy Registrar Prof Tariq Mahmood Ali presented a national fact sheet and said Pakistan was facing a substantial but insufficiently recognised burden of genomic diseases. He said that 60-70% of marriages in Pakistan are consanguineous, which increases the risk of recessive genetic disorders by up to 18 times.

He also said the country has more than 10 million thalassaemia carriers, while 7,000-10,000 new cases are recorded each year. He added that an estimated 50,000-100,000 people in Pakistan are currently living with the disease.

Cost burden and policy roadmap

Prof Ali said genomic and inherited disorders impose an annual cost of about PKR 200-300 billion on the country. He warned that, without preventive measures, that burden could rise to PKR 1 trillion a year by 2050.

At the meeting, Prof Shahid Mahmood Baig, Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences at the Health Services Academy, presented the draft National Genomic Policy. He outlined a roadmap that includes establishing a National Public Health Genomics Programme, building genomic surveillance systems, developing the workforce, expanding local diagnostic capacity and launching preventive screening initiatives.

The consultation was held as part of efforts by the health ministry and the academy to frame a national policy on genomics for Pakistan, with the stated aim of supporting disease prevention and bolstering the country’s health security framework.