Pakistan

PML-N to table premarital blood screening bill

Objective is to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, thalassemia and hepatitis

Obaid Abbasi July 24, 2016

PHOTO: AFP

ISLAMABAD: In a landmark move, the ruling party will table a bill next week on the pre-marital blood screening of couples to check the spread of communicable diseases, The Express Tribune has learnt.

Senator Chaudhry Tanvir Khan of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz is going to present a Family Laws Amendment Bill in the Senate in an effort to control the spread of HIV/AIDS, thalassemia, hepatitis and other diseases through pre-marital blood screening.

Around 8,000 babies are born every year with thalassemia major in Pakistan, according to the Fatimid Foundation, an NGO working for treatment of the disease.

Before the vows: Public health experts suggest thalassemia test be made compulsory

“I will move the bill on July 26. The basic objective of the bill is to prevent the spread of communicable diseases which are transmitted through genetic abnormalities and blood transmission,” Chaudhry Tanvir told The Express Tribune.

He said under the amended family laws – which include Muslim marriage, Christian Marriage and Divorce Act and Parsi Marriage Act – a couple will be bound to get their blood screened before the marriage.

“After the legislation, marriage will not be considered valid without the report of blood screening and the (couple) will be bound to get a medical certificate from the concerned doctor,” he said. The Nikah registrar, according to him, will register the marriage after getting a medical report from the concerned doctor.

He claimed that being a public representative he is dealing with many people, who are facing such diseases. “Therefore, I have decided to introduce the family law amendment bill so that these diseases could be prevented,” he added.

HIV/Aids cases on the rise in Pakistan, says report

Another official, privy to the development, said the religious affairs ministry is also a stakeholder in the proposed legislation as the family laws also fall under their jurisdiction. “The religious affairs ministry is bound to give its input as without its consent an amended bill cannot move further,” he added.

Ministry of Religious Affairs Director General DG (Research) Noor Salam Shah told The Express Tribune that the ministry has received the draft for input and in this regard a meeting between the ministry’s officials and Parliamentary Secretary Sheikh Aftab will be held on July 25.

“So far, the draft is at the initial stage and ministry has also called its internal meeting to get input from religious scholars. Apparently, there is nothing in the draft which could be opposed and hopefully the ministry will support the bill,” he added.

Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid told The Express Tribune that it is a good initiative of a PML-N lawmaker. However, he said, he has not received the draft. “The ministry will examine the draft after consulting all stakeholders,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 24^th, 2016.

COMMENTS (19)

Adil Akhter | 7 years ago | Reply As someone who deals with thalassemia everyday I would like to inform the honorable member of the Senate that other assemblies have passed such bills to no avail. Awareness must first be created and then facilities for testing via genetic mutations must be available to all with confidentiality. It must also be understood that mass screening for thalassemia is not recommended by WHO when the gene frequency is less than 10% as it is not cost effective. THe gene frequency of Thalassaemia in Pakistan is 5-8%. If anything must be done it should be extended family screening of index patients with beta thalassemia

Uza Syed | 7 years ago | Reply @Khan: Yes, each and everyone of these measures is more important and must have higher priority. This announcement is nothing but political gimmick and you know it well.

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Khan | 7 years ago | Reply @Uza Syed: Are those more important than having crippled children who cann't take care of themselves? It's simply mind boggling to see such suggestions .. I am against status quo when it comes to politics or at least the dictatorships in main political parties but one must not stoop so low to even not appreciate something good being done once a millenium.

HAROON BANDUKDA | 7 years ago | Reply It's a good move for a better society.

Farooq khan | 7 years ago | Reply I will salute you pmln for this critical requirement that no one talks about. Please make it a comprehensive test to preclude births of children with disabilities

Ch. Allah Daad | 7 years ago | Reply Great initiative. PML(N) government is taking a very important step. Next should be ban on cousin marriage. That's even more important.

Daniyal | 7 years ago | Reply The time would be much better spent instituting legislation against evils such as under age marriages. Even if a blood test shows that there are chances for a disease to be passed on, will the Govt ban the marriage? Do we want to give that right? Rather than invalidating marriages, introduce subsidies or incentives to get the certificate

Kala_bacha | 7 years ago | Reply This bill is totally against the privacy of the person. Instead trying to improves how prevent the hepatitis / hiv by educating people forwarding this will create a panic and people who are not well educated Interprets the results wrongly. This bill increase unnecessary burden on the people/ tax payers.

Uza Syed | 7 years ago | Reply How about cleaning the gutters? How about clean drinking water? How about healthcare? How about affordable medicines and education and housing? How about it ?

Khilari | 7 years ago | Reply Something which is needed asap keeping in mind the high rate of disabilities in the country due to cousin marriages.

Mamu | 7 years ago | Reply @Khalid: You should read about Islam more. It has got the solutions to the problems.

Raghu | 7 years ago | Reply @Khalid: Dont worry about mullas. Qandeel's brother was also not a mulla.

Dong | 7 years ago | Reply Excellent Step, first time PML (N) is doing something out of the box but let's see how they implement it, given their abysmal record with NAP and other laws.

MahRukh | 7 years ago | Reply Very good n vry wise decision.

Malik Saab | 7 years ago | Reply @Aftab: Some people are too negative that they can never think of any positive in their lifetime. The people like you will always find faults in one way or another. @Khalid: It is an Initiative of the whole PMLN. Chadhary Tanvir may not even read the whole bill. The secretaries prepare the bill and the credit goes to high ups who just sign it properly in the end. So give the credit to the PMLN in general.

roadkashehzada | 7 years ago | Reply just for information of our islamic ideology council, such certificate is also required in saudi arabia

Shah | 7 years ago | Reply A very wise and necessary step.

Khalid | 7 years ago | Reply Finally a long awaited amendment, a very good initiative Mr.Tanvir Khan. I hope Mullas of Pakistan will also agree on this.

Aftab | 7 years ago | Reply I appreciate such initiatives. But before going to this end, the government have to make sure the basic needs fulfilments like clean drinking water and other avenues of such diseases spread like poor health system, malnutrition etc. The real issue will be to define a strategy to to accommodate the positive cases or some rehabilitation programs by the government for such people.

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