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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Pre-marital screening to be compulsory in Oman by 2026

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Muscat: Under the patronage of Dr. Mohammed bin Saeed bin Khalfan Al Maamari, Minister of Endowments and Religious Affairs, the campaign to enhance the premarital medical examination service in the Sultanate of Oman and the Expansion Program for Newborn Screening was launched on Wednesday morning at the Grand Millennium.


Right now about 39% of the couples are going through the screening.


“But we want to see all the couples go through the examination to avoid hereditary health issues. The other part of the pre-marital screening is to test for some of the sexually transmitted diseases like HIV, Hepatitis B and C, and syphilis, pointed out Dr. Badriya al Rashdi, Director General for Health Services and Programs, Ministry of Health, while speaking to the Observer.


Dr. Jamila Al Abry, consultant director of Mother and Child Health at the Ministry of Health, in her presentation, highlighted hereditary blood diseases in the Sultanate of Oman and defined premarital medical examination.


She explained the origin and development of the premarital medical examination program in the Sultanate of Oman.


The question was, “Is it mandatory to have a medical examination before marriage in the Sultanate of Oman?”


The national campaign for premarital medical examination will be for all Omanis who are about to get married and includes the marriage of Omanis to foreigners.


“It is not necessary for both parties to attend the health facility together to conduct the examinations,” noted Dr. Jamila.


Mandatory pre-marriage medical examination will be set by early 2026.


Advice will be provided by trained medical staff, and the necessary treatment and health care for those suffering from infectious diseases will be prescribed.


“Having an infectious disease does not prevent the marriage proposal from continuing. Maintaining the confidentiality of information is a priority at all levels at which the service is provided. The decision whether or not to proceed with the marriage is entirely up to both parties,” Dr. Jamila said.


The objectives of the National Campaign for Premarital Medical Examination are to spread awareness among community members about the importance and mechanism of conducting a medical examination before marriage and to promote the official implementation of the mandatory premarital examination as a requirement for completing the marriage contract.


The second part of the event is the Expansion Program for Newborn Screening and Enhancing Premarital Medical Examination.


Dr. Nadia Al Hashmi, Senior Consultant at the Ministry of Health, explained that phased expansion will take place throughout Oman.


The pilot phase will be in Muscat Governorate for 9 months, then in North and South Al Batinah and North and South Al Sharqiyah for three months, as well as in Dhahira, Al Wusta, and Dakhiliya in the set duration, in addition to Musandam, Dhofar, and Al Buraimi.


The aim of this health program is to detect a group of genetic metabolic and endocrine diseases by taking a blood sample from the newborn's heel between days 2-3.


“This is to detect diseases before symptoms appear and start treatment early to avoid complications. The objective is to improve the quality of a child's life,” explained Dr. Nadia.


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