BEIJING, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Beijing wants to increase its premarital medical checkup rate to at least 50 percent by 2020 to help prevent birth defects, according to the city's recently released disability prevention plan.
Although premarital checkups are free, only 10.43 percent of couples that married in Beijing in 2016 opted to have a medical check.
The figure was closer to 100 percent a decade ago.
China abolished compulsory premarital checkups in 2003. Since then, the number of couples choosing to have them has declined dramatically. But the percentage of diseases found in the checks has increased.
Couples can choose what tests they want taken, for example they may opt out of tests for sexually transmitted diseases or choose to check for specific diseases if there is a family history.
In 1996, 5 percent of people who had premarital medical checks in Beijing were found to have diseases that could cause birth defects, while that rate increased to around 13 percent in 2014, according to data released by Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning.
"Premarital medical checkups are the first line of defense in preventing birth defects," said Xi Shuyan from the commission, adding that diagnosing medical issues at this stage means that many can be treated before being passed on to the next generation.
Xi said information desks at marriage registration bureaus in several districts are encouraging newlyweds to also take advantage of the free checks.
