Friday 10 / January / 2025
Muscat: The Ministry of Health recently held an introductory meeting to launch a national awareness campaign focused on pre-marital medical examinations. This year-long campaign, running throughout 2025, aims to promote the importance of these examinations within the community.
The pre-marital medical examination program has several key objectives. Primarily, it seeks to reduce the prevalence of hereditary blood diseases like sickle cell anemia and beta-thalassemia. Additionally, the program aims to foster a broader understanding of healthy marriage, prevent social and psychological challenges for families with affected children, lessen the strain on healthcare facilities and blood banks, and alleviate the financial burdens associated with treating these conditions.
The campaign's core strategy involves increasing public engagement with pre-marital examinations. This will be achieved by raising awareness among relevant sectors and reinforcing the importance of these examinations within the community. The campaign will highlight the benefits of undergoing these examinations, clearly explain the process involved, and address the associated health, social, and religious considerations.
Dr. Saeed bin Harib Al-Lamki, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health for Health Affairs, opened the meeting with a speech emphasizing its significance and outlining the campaign's goals. He stressed the crucial role of inter-sectoral collaboration in ensuring the national awareness campaign's success.
The meeting featured a series of presentations from various stakeholders. Dr. Badriya Al-Rashdiya, Director General of Health Services and Programs, provided an overview of the national campaign, detailing its objectives, implementation phases, and the expected contributions of participating organizations.
Yaqub bin Ali Al-Batashi, a school administration supervisor from the Ministry of Education, presented a compelling account of the challenges faced by families affected by hereditary blood diseases. He used a real-life example to underscore the importance of pre-marital examinations in preventing the transmission of these conditions, thereby building healthier families and communities. He also proposed several measures to mitigate the impact of hereditary diseases, including mandatory pre-marital testing, increased public awareness, psychological and social support for patients, enhanced research into new treatments, dedicated healthcare facilities, and legislative reforms.
Experts from the Ministry of Health provided further details on the national pre-marital medical examination program and the specific diseases covered. The Ministry of Social Development also contributed a presentation on the social consequences of transmitting hereditary and infectious diseases on individuals and families.
The legal aspects of pre-marital examinations were also addressed. The Supreme Judicial Council presented a paper on the legal, organizational, and legislative frameworks for mandatory examinations. Fahad bin Yusuf Al-Aghbari, a law lecturer at the University of Sharqiyah, discussed pre-marital medical examinations within the context of children's rights and human rights.
The meeting concluded with a presentation by Dr. Jamila bint Taysir Al-Abriya, Director of the Department of Women's and Children's Health, who discussed the potential impact of mandatory examinations on Omani society and outlined future aspirations related to the program.
