Materia Medica Malaysiana

Perlis to make HIV tests a must for Muslim marriages

PERLIS will follow Johor's move to make it compulsory for couples to take HIV/AIDS tests before they get married, Utusan Malaysia reported.
The paper quoted the Regent of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Jamalullail, as saying that the matter was discussed at a recent meeting of the state religious and Malay customary affairs council.
The state government would study the proposal in depth and come out with the guidelines and regulations, he said.
Administrative matters such as the cost of carrying out the tests and confidentiality of the couples involved would also be worked out, he said when opening the Al-Saadah Mosque in Santan, near Kangar, to mark the state-level Maal Hijrah celebrations on Thursday.
The paper said Johor had enforced the ruling since 2002 to help couples to be sure of their prospective marriage as well as to bring about a long-term solution to curbing the spread of the HIV virus.

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