RIYADH, 13 May 2008 — Health Minister Dr. Hamad Al-Manie launched a nationwide awareness campaign on healthy marriage in Riyadh on Sunday at an event attended by a large gathering of distinguished guests from several government departments.
“The program is being launched in the wake of increasing post-marital medical problems faced by people in the Kingdom,” the minister said, adding that since 2004, around 6,700 couples have been proved incompatible to marry following medical tests.
The minister pointed out that some of the problems faced by the couples were hereditary or due to infection. “People should know the consequences of genetic diseases and the impact on their children those diseases have,” he said.
Around four percent of disabled children in the Kingdom were victims of genetic diseases. The highest number of incompatible couples identified were in the Al-Ahsa region, followed by the Eastern Province, Qunfuda, Jizan, Makkah and Madinah.
The Ministry of Health has established 131 genetic centers where prospective couples can undergo medical tests prior to marrying. There are 70 laboratories and 31 marriage consultant clinics maintained by the ministry throughout the Kingdom. Mandatory premarital medical tests, which are essential for issuing marriage certificates, include a genetic compatibility test.
According to the World Health Organization, 80 percent of hepatitis patients do not take serious steps to treat their condition until it becomes chronic, with 20 percent of them developing cirrhosis. The WHO adds that five percent of the 20 percent will have liver cancer in the following 10 years of their lives.
Hepatitis is an infectious disease that is easier to contract than AIDS transmitted by blood and body fluids. Early diagnosis of the disease saves more than $5,000 spent on every patient, according to statistics mentioned at the 38th Annual Medical Conference for Abdominal System Diseases in Washington August 2007.
Hepatitis B is considered far more contagious and common than HIV; both infections are incurable and fatal, though with proper treatment and lifestyle measures carriers of HIV or hepatitis viruses can keep the symptoms at bay and extend their lives considerably.
Dr. Khalid Al-Zahrani, assistant deputy minister of Health for Preventive Medicine, said that the program will last for a year and would include the holding of exhibitions, symposia and lectures on relevant subjects.
“We hope to reach every youth of this country through this program and we hope to reach our target within the set period,” said Dr. Mohammed Yahya Saeedi, director general for non-infectious diseases.
