Until last autumn, everyone in China who wished to get married was required to have a physical examination. But under the new Regulation on Marriage Registration that came into effect on October 1, 2003, people can choose whether to have a premarital physical. The sharp drop in the number of people having them has prompted yet another reform in some areas: free prenuptial health checks.

The free exams were first carried out this May in Putuo District, Zhoushan City, in southeast China’s Zhejiang Province. The checkup includes routine blood and urine tests, liver function and hepatitis B antigen tests, chest X-ray, syphilis test and HIV test. The local government covers the entire cost of 213 yuan (US$25.70).

The district also provides free prenatal physical exams.

In the first three months of this year, only five couples opted to have premarital exams in Putuo District, less than 5 percent of the total marriage registrations. Hangzhou City reported a rate of only 2.3 percent and Zhejiang Province a mere 1.9 percent.

But making premarital check-ups non-compulsory does not mean they are unimportant. According to the Ministry of Health, in 2002, 9.3 percent of applicants for marriage licenses were found to have diseases. Most of these were reproductive, internal and/or infectious diseases that require precautions from both partners in the marriage.

The district’s AIDS prevention work group decided to allocate some funds from the AIDS prevention budget to supply free premarital medical exams.

Experts say that such examinations can be an important tool in preventing the spread of AIDS. Moreover, the doctors can provide advice on birth control and family planning, helping couples avoid unplanned pregnancy.

Many people have applauded the free examinations, regarding it a means to guarantee the health of mothers and babies.

(China.org.cn by Feng Yikun, June 8, 2004)