Palestine saves 300 million dollars through mandatory pre-marriage screening

Dr. Bashar Al-Karmi, a thalassemia expert and member of the Friends of Thalassemia Patients Association in Palestine, stated that mandatory pre-marriage medical screening serves as the primary defense against new cases of chronic thalassemia in Palestinian society.

Al-Karmi explained that thalassemia is a hereditary blood disorder caused by a defect in hemoglobin production, which leads to the premature breakdown of red blood cells.

He noted that approximately 4% of the Palestinian community in the West Bank carry this genetic trait, totaling about 120,000 people in that region and 200,000 across the entire country. While carriers live normal lives, the risk of a child being born with the disease increases significantly if both parents carry the trait. The Palestinian Ministry of Health launched the mandatory screening program in 2000 and began providing the tests for free in 2008.

Al-Karmi stated that this initiative successfully resulted in years with zero new births of children with thalassemia, such as in 2013. However, he warned that some couples are bypassing these protections by marrying outside of Palestine or ignoring medical results, leading to recent new cases. He also mentioned that security conditions and strikes can sometimes disrupt the regularity of procedures at health centers.

The expert claimed that the prevention policy saved the Palestinian public and the Ministry of Health approximately 300 million dollars between 2000 and 2025. These funds represent the costs that would have been spent on continuous treatment and blood units for patients. Al-Karmi urged young people to view the screening as a responsible choice for protecting future generations and called for the inclusion of genetic disease awareness in school curricula.