Meghalaya mulling mandatory HIV test for couples before marriage

The Meghalaya government is mulling on making it mandatory for couples who intend to tie the knot to undergo HIV testing to tackle the rising prevalence of HIV and AIDS in the State.
Health and Family Welfare minister, Dr. Mazel Ampareen Lyngdoh said the government would explore legal possibilities to implement such a policy, given the concerning trends in transmission and the urgent need for intervention.
“Goa has made HIV AIDS testing compulsory before any couple marriage, why shouldn’t Meghalaya have its own set of laws,” she said.“We will engage with legal experts, we will engage with relevant departments to assess the feasibility of such legislation,” Lyngdoh informed.
The Health department will prepare a cabinet memorandum to streamline future testing, data collection, and treatment protocols to address the crisis.
Meghalaya ranks sixth among the highest HIV prevalence states in India. HIV/AIDS growth rate stood at 221.1 per cent over nearly two decades.