Magistrate courts make thalassemia card mandatory for marriage applications

Magistrate courts across the Maldives have made the submission of thalassemia card mandatory for processing marriage applications.

The change is being brought by the new regulation on magistrate courts, set to take effect Thursday.

Over the past two days, magistrate courts have issued announcements stating that the new regulation requires couples applying for marriage to both test for thalassemia and provide the results. However, if one of them is confirmed to be a non-thalassemia carrier, then the other does not need to submit their test results.

Magistrate courts will only process marriage applications if couples fulfill this requirement.

Thalassemia cards are already mandatory for marriages processed at the Family Court as well as several magistrate courts. However, some magistrate courts have been lax in enforcing this rule.

Studies show the Maldives has one of the world’s highest thalassemia carrier rates.