Ministry of Health Organizes Closing Event for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Month

Kuwait City, September 30 (KUNA) -- The Ministry of Health today organized the closing event of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Month, under the slogan “Access to Care Changes Lives,” sponsored by Minister of Health Dr. Ahmed Al-Awadi at the New Maternity Hospital.

In a statement issued by the Ministry, Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health Affairs, representing the event’s patron, Dr. Al-Mundhir Al-Hasawi, said that Kuwait attaches great importance to Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy through an integrated system of preventive, therapeutic, and early diagnostic measures, culminating in the provision of the most advanced genetic treatments.

Dr. Al-Hasawi added that Kuwait’s role has not been confined to the local level but has extended internationally, as the country led an initiative to submit a draft resolution to the United Nations General Assembly at its 78th session. The draft, which garnered support from 128 countries, led to the adoption of September 7 as World Duchenne Awareness Day.

For her part, Dr. Rania Al-Badr, Head of the Medical Staff at the New Maternity Hospital, stated that the event aims to reaffirm that awareness and comprehensive, multidisciplinary care are the optimal means of delivering holistic health services.

Dr. Al-Badr noted that the integration of the Kuwait Center for Genetic Diseases into the departments of the New Maternity Hospital represents a step toward achieving continuity and integration, given that managing genetic diseases begins at the family level and requires a unified healthcare system operating with a collaborative team spirit.

Meanwhile, Dr. Laila Bastaki, Head of the Kuwait Center for Genetic Diseases, said that the global incidence rate of this disease is approximately one case per 4,000 to 5,000 male births, equating to an estimated 5 to 7 cases annually in Kuwait.

She emphasized that joint efforts between the Center for Genetic Diseases and the Reproductive Assistance Unit at the New Maternity Hospital have succeeded in reducing this rate to one case per year in families without a prior genetic history of the disease.

Dr. Bastaki called for intensified collaborative work to keep pace with rapid advancements in modern genetic therapies and to provide a comprehensive system that safeguards patients’ rights and ensures the best possible quality of life.

The event was attended by several Ministry of Health leaders, a select group of medical personnel and specialists, as well as families of patients and those affected. (End) M.N.M./N.W.F