Every marriage registration center in the city must set up a special medical clinic to provide premarital check-ups, the Shanghai Health Bureau announced yesterday.

Centers that don't have enough space onsite for a medical clinic must set one up within 200 meters of the main office, the bureau said.

The new rule is meant to cut down on the number of newborns with deformities and make life more convenient for engaged couples, who currently must travel to a district maternity hospital for an examination, officials said.

Premarital health doctors from district maternity hospitals will serve in the clinics, providing consultations and examinations for hepatitis B, syphilis and other ailments that could influence a fetus' health.

Premarital medical exams were mandatory in the city prior to October 2003.

After the exams were made optional, the number of couples taking a physical before tying the knot dropped considerable. Only 3 percent of newlyweds underwent a physical in 2004, down from about 98 percent when the exam was mandatory.

Shanghai began offering free check-ups in August last year to encourage more couples to have the exam, but 90 percent still avoid the procedure.

"Premarital health care is very important to guarantee the health of couples and infants. It helps reduce inborn defects and deformities and improves population quality," said Song Guofan of the Shanghai Health Bureau. "The authorities have taken many efforts to encourage the check-ups, which are still optional."

Medical experts say a large percentage of the about 3,000 known inherited diseases can be prevented through premarital checks. Since the exams were first introduced in 1988, about 1,000 local couples have been advised to hold off on having kids.

(Shanghai Daily October 11, 2006)