PANJIM: In a move that could trigger a major debate, Goa Government is considering to make HIV test mandatory before registration of marriages in near future.
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane has asked the Law Department to move a proposal to make the HIV test mandatory for marriage registration. The proposal is likely to come up during the upcoming Monsoon Session of the State Legislative Assembly, beginning from July 15.
Rane told media persons on Monday that State government intends to move legislation making HIV test compulsory in the State in public interest.
“The plan is to make an HIV test mandatory for the couples before registration of their marriages in Goa. It would be done in public interest,” Rane said.
He said that the State Law Department is vetting the proposal to make the test compulsory in the State so that it becomes the law of the land. “Once the legislation is cleared by Law Department, we can place it during the upcoming monsoon session of the Assembly,” Rane said.
“If required, we will also introduce amendment to the Public Health Act. But we are going ahead with the decision,” the minister added.
In the past, then Congress government in the year 2006, when Dayanand Narvekar was Health Minister, had proposed similar legislation. However, the same faced opposition from several quarters forcing the government to drop the plan.
As per the figures available from the Goa State AIDS Control Society, there have been around 1,180 AIDS related deaths in Goa till February 2019.
