Annually, 30,000 babies with different kinds of disabilities are born in the country. In order to prevent congenital disorders, several centers that offer mandatory pre-marital genetic testing have been launched, more recently in Yazd and Kerman provinces.
Premarital genetic testing will be made mandatory nationwide by the end of the next economic development plan (2016-2021), said Anoushiravan Mohseni Bandpei, head of State Welfare Organization (SWO) on Tuesday.
“Prevention of disabilities and genetic disorders and empowerment of the target population under SWO coverage are our two primary goals,” IRNA quoted him as saying.
