MPs to vote on plan to add mental health, drug checks to pre-marital tests

TDT | Manama

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A proposal to expand pre-marital medical tests to include mental health assessments and drug-use screening will go before Parliament on Tuesday, though the Services Committee has advised against its adoption.

The amendment to Article 1 of Law No. 11 of 2004 would redefine “medical examination” for couples planning to marry, adding checks for mental health and unlawful drug use to the current focus on genetic and communicable diseases. The bill, submitted by MPs Basema Mubarak, Jaleela Alawi, Hanan Fardan, Dr Hesham Al Ashiri, and Mahmoud Fardan, aims to strengthen family wellbeing and public health.

Under current rules (Decision No. 2 of 2004), pre-marital testing covers sickle-cell anaemia, thalassaemia, hepatitis B, AIDS, and syphilis. The Ministry of Health and the Supreme Council of Health supported the goal but said mental health and drug-use assessments fall outside the law’s scope, which targets hereditary and infectious conditions. They noted that such tests are complex, require professional evaluation rather than lab analysis, and could raise privacy issues or yield false positives.

Citing these concerns, the Services Committee recommended rejection, adding that comparable laws elsewhere do not require such checks. Parliament is expected to debate the bill on Tuesday.