Mandatory Pre-Marital Counselling Introduced for Thalassaemia Carriers

Parliament passed the first set of amendments to the Thalassaemia Act yesterday, making it mandatory for carriers to complete a government-mandated education and counselling programme before marriage.

The bill was passed yesterday with 60 of the 66 MPs in attendance. One MP was ineligible to vote, while five chose not to participate in the vote.

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Currently, all Maldivians are required to submit thalassaemia screening results when registering for marriage. However, the law does not restrict marriage between two carriers. The new amendment closes this gap, mandating that both individuals complete a government-approved educational and counselling programme before proceeding with marriage registration.

This marks the first set of amendments to the Thalassaemia Act since it was enacted in 2012.

A second major focus of the amendment bill was to clearly define the responsibilities of the Director General of Thalassaemia and Haemoglobinopathy. These provisions were passed without significant changes by the Parliamentary Committee on Social Affairs, which had reviewed the bill in detail.

Additionally, the bill requires all supplementary guidelines and regulations arising from the amendments to be published within 30 days of the amended Act’s publication in the Maldivian Gazette.

MP Ahmed Naseer, who represents the Ihavandhoo constituency, submitted the amendments on behalf of the government on 30 June. Parliament first introduced the bill on 23 June and held its initial debate the following day.