In an effort to reduce birth defects, a district of Beijing will offer free premarital health checkups, including HIV and syphilis tests and chest x-rays.

The capital's Xicheng District will be the first to launch the free tests in March, said Chen Xin, deputy director of the Health Department of the district.

The free tests will save couples approximately 260 yuan (32 US dollars).

Premarital checkups were once compulsory for couples in China, who could not get a marriage certificate without taking the tests.

But since the Chinese government abolished the compulsive premarriage checkups in October 2003, the percentage of new couples who pay for the checkups dropped to as low as 1.5 in the district, Chen said.

"Young couples want to save trouble and money," Chen said. "We hope this move will attract more couples to have the checkups."

In 2004, 5.03 percent of couples in Beijing went for premarital checkups, 13.62 percent of whom were diagnosed with infectious and reproductive system diseases.

Last year, Beijing had 1,113 babies born with defects, accounting for 13.49 percent of the total annual births.

Source: Xinhua