Couples skipping health checks (Xinhua) Updated: 2005-02-08 09:03
The number of newly-weds who underwent pre-marital health checks dropped
drastically in Beijing last year, amid a growing incidence of infectious
diseases and birth defects, according to the Beijing Municipal Health
Bureau.
Only 5.03 percent of the 198,634 individuals applying for
marriage went through health checks last year; of those who had the check, 13.62
percent were found to suffer from infectious diseases or infertility, the bureau
said.
Last year, the incidence of birth defects reached 13.49 per
thousand in Beijing, higher than the normal ratio of 10 per thousand, according
to figures from the Beijing Municipal Women and Infants Health Care
Center.
Although the figures could not prove that lower ratio of
pre-marital check-ups is a direct cause of higher incidence of birth defects,
health authorities in the capital have called for wider publicity of information
about pre-marital check-ups, Ding Hui, vice president of Beijing's Obstetric
Gynecological Hospital, said yesterday.
Concerned institutions have been
asked to provide free pre-marital check-ups to reduce financial burdens on needy
groups, an official with the health bureau said.
China adopted the new
Regulation on Marriage Registration on October 1, 2003. Under the new
regulation, people registered with the civil affairs department for marriage can
decide themselves whether to have a physical examination before they get
married.
In the past, pre-marital health check was a prerequisite for
obtaining marriage permits.
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