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The National Assembly Standing Committee on Health discussed a proposed bill requiring grooms to undergo thalassaemia screening before marriage.
Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal expressed strong support for the bill, stating that such legislation was necessary to curb the disease, which burdens the healthcare system.
The bill, titled The Islamabad Capital Territory Compulsory Thalassaemia Screening Bill 2025, was introduced by PPP legislator Sharmila Sahiba Faruqui Hashaam.
Kamal emphasized that if a groom tests positive for thalassaemia, the bride should also be tested. “We can only save future generations through this legislation,” he said.
Committee Chairman Mahesh Kumar Malani instructed that the bill be refined and reviewed by the law ministry before the next meeting.
Thalassaemia is a hereditary blood disorder that impairs red blood cell production. There are three types: minor, major, and intermedia.
While individuals with thalassaemia minor lead normal lives, they can pass the condition to their offspring.
Patients with major thalassaemia require frequent blood transfusions, and the only cure is a costly bone marrow transplant.
