ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Tuesday passed a bill to make premarital thalassaemia screening mandatory for grooms and brides — a move that could significantly reduce the prevalence and impact of the life-threatening genetic disorder in the country.
Piloted by Sharmila Sahiba Faruqui, the Islamabad Capital Territory Compulsory Thalassaemia Screening Act, 2025, binds the healthcare centres treating thalassaemia patients to ensure that all blood relatives of the children are screened for the disease.
“The blood relatives of thalassaemia patients who are marrying shall be advised and counselled to obtain a premarital blood screening to ensure that they are not carrying the trait,” it reads.
When the bill turns into a law, antenatal test
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