Updated 6:00pm, 18 Dec 2008
KUALA LUMPUR, 18 Dec 2008: Beginning next year, Muslim couples will have to undergo a mandatory screening for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) before they get married.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the HIV screening would be a part of the pre-marital course.
He said the measure was in line with the government’s objective to reduce the incidence of HIV infection among women, which he added was on the rise.
“Next year, we will make it mandatory for all states to impose the HIV screening as part of the pre-marital course,” he told reporters after chairing a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Aids, at Parliament House.
Currently, a few states have made it mandatory for Muslim couples to undergo the HIV screening prior to getting married.
These states include Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Sabah, Sarawak and Selangor. — Bernama
