The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention is carrying out a provincial-level survey on sexually transmitted diseases (STD) clinics to gain better control of the diseases.

To be finished in the first half of this year, the survey is expected to find out problems in the current STD prevention and control network in China, said Liu Hui, official with the center.

The number of venereal disease cases has been predicted by some experts to likely to top all contagious diseases in China in just three to five years, with the blame placed mainly on a "disordered medical market."

"With the rise of venereal disease cases, public demand for relevant medical services is increasing and the market is expanding," said Professor Zhang Junyan from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

"However, problems like approval of unqualified STD clinics, misguiding advertisements and unregulated examination and treatment prevail in this sector," Zhang said.

According to latest statistics, each year nearly 4 million people contract venereal diseases in China.

Officials with the Ministry of Health also concede that current medical services for venereal diseases lack quality and order. Main problems include ineffective co-operation between health institutions, high service charges, poor diagnoses by doctors and a lack of psychological consultation for patients.

More STD clinics are run by commercial organizations or individuals, which often leads to a lack of quality control and lax supervision, ministry sources said.

According to Liu Hui, the survey on provincial STD clinics this year is designed to collect data such as the average number of patients per month, major facilities in labs and available examination items.

"These basic data will work as guidance to our future plans," Liu said.

Before the survey, the country already had organized surveys to achieve basic data about AIDS.

Though venereal diseases have not gotten as much attention as AIDS, work has been done in some parts of the country to regulate local medical service markets.

In Shandong, Hubei and Sichuan provinces, laws and regulations have been enacted to tighten up examination and approvals of medical institutions treating sexually transmitted diseases.

(Xinhua News Agency March 20, 2004)