Starting Thursday, couples in Shenyang, the capital of
northeastern China's Liaoning Province, can receive premarital
medical checkups free of charge.
The municipal government will pay the expenses in a bid to
reduce the rising number of birth defects.
However, that doesn't mean premarital checkups have again become
compulsory, the Northeast Network quoted officials as saying.
Compulsory premarital checkups were abolished nationwide in 2003
by the revised Marriage Registration Regulations. Since then, the
rate of couples undergoing the checkups has dropped sharply.
Statistics show one million babies are born with defects
annually in China. In Shenyang alone, 1.25 out of every 100
newborns fell into this category last year, rising from 1.13 the
year before. An estimated 16.8 million yuan (US$2.17 million) are
spent every year on surgeries and medical care for these
babies.
Having realized the critical situation, the Shenyang government
began paying for premarital checkups in 2004 in six pilot districts
and counties, achieving encouraging results.
Local officials are also planning free consultations for
marrying couples to promote premarital checkups.
Earlier, a number of other Chinese cities have already
introduced free premarital checkups.
Guangzhou, the capital city of southern China's Guangdong Province, is scheduled to offer free
checkups later this month.
(CRI March 9, 2007)