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Health certificate to be compulsory for couples getting married
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Hundreds of couples join a mass wedding ceremony held by the Jakarta administration at the park-and-ride Thamrin , Central Jakarta, on Dec. 31, 2017. (JP/Ben Latuihamallo)
T
he Jakarta administration is set to require engaged couples to undergo health check-ups and obtain medical certificates before tying the knot in a bid to detect contagious and genetic diseases and prevent them from being transmitted.
Couples who fail to do so will not be able to legalize their marriages, the city’s Health Agency head Koesmedi Priharto said as reported by kompas.com on Wednesday.
“The couples can’t get married without the [medical] certificates containing the results of their health check-ups," Koesmedi said.
"The aim of this policy is clear, we don’t want contagious or genetic diseases being transmitted and affecting the life of the couples and their children."
A regulation stipulating the policy had been issued by the governor, Koesmedi said.
He added that the administration had informed the religious affairs offices about the policy, so that the offices would reject marriage applications from any couples who had not undergone the medical examinations.
The policy has been issued as the part of the city’s health “Ok Ocare” program.
“OK Ocare is aimed at serving young couples, pregnant women, babies, elementary, junior high and senior high students, adults and the elderly,” Koesmedi added. (cal)
