Omanis are carriers of blood genetic disorders

Hereditary blood disorders — the genetic condition that leads to

varieties of inherited blood diseases like Sickle Cell, Thalassoemia and Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase deficiency G6PD are some of the most prominent health concerns among the Omanis. According to the Ministry of Health’s data presented by Dr Salam bin Salim al Kindy, Head of Haematology Department, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, about 60 per cent of Omanis are carriers of one or multiple genes of inherited blood disorders.
Although the prevalence of sufferers of genetic blood diseases in Omani society may seem small in comparison to other countries in the region, the prevalence of having more than half of the entire population of Omanis as carriers is definitely a great concern. The inheritance of the defective genes mainly occur because of intermarriage between either carriers or sufferers of the defective genes, said Dr Salam adding that unfortunately, a lot of Omanis who are carriers of any of the respective genes do not even know that they are traits.
“But, the solution for reducing the prevalence for inheritance of the defective genes — is pre-marital test. Preferably, what should be avoided are intermarriages between persons having the defect genes. “It is also not advisable either for traits of hereditary blood genes to intermarry or even a trait and a carrier of defect genes to intermarry. Such combinations would result in bearing children with defected genes, urges the expert.
“Nonetheless, it is fine if one of the partners has normal genes and the other is a trait or if both partners have normal genes that do not cause any inherited blood disorders to intermarry, and this is what we want to achieve for the future generations in Oman.” It is important that the public have knowledge on how hereditary blood disorders are transmitted.

Oman Mobile activates free ‘Missed Call Alert’ service

 Oman Mobile has announced that it has activated Free Wainak service “Missed Call Alert” to all of its existing Mada subscribers.
The service, branded Wainak, is a free service that will send SMS messages to customers every time they missed a call — while their phone is switched off busy or out of reach.
Salim Ali al Nasri, Senior Manager Product Development at Omantel’s Consumer Unit, said: “Wainak is one of the very first valued added services that Oman Mobile had introduced to its subscribers and has proven to be very useful to the customers ensuring they will know who has tried to call them when their phone is switched off or out of the coverage area.”
“It will be particularly useful for our customers who are travelling enabling them to pick up missed calls on arrival at their destination and for those times when the battery may go flat or the handset is switched off,” he added.
Wainak service is designed to cover overseas calls and those incoming from public telephones, landlines and other mobile subscribers other than Oman Mobile.
Oman Mobile customers are already benefiting from the new service. Ahmed al Shamsi one of them says: “Wainak is an important service that people require especially when they travel as they want to know who called them while they were busy or out of the country. It is great that Oman Mobile has activated this service automatically which is a real advantage and I am really thankful for the understanding that Oman Mobile shows to its customers.”
Meanwhile Fadwa Ali, an Oman Mobile customer, added: “The automatic activation of the Wainak service reflects the care Oman Mobile shows its customers. We are very happy about this service because it is useful for us to know who called us when we are not available to take the call.”
Oman Mobile is the mobile telecommunications arm of Omantel which brings individuals, families and businesses together and has successfully connected different parts of the country to each other and with the rest of the world.