China Establishes Center for Birth Defect Research and Treatment

China has set up a Birth Defects Treatment and Research Center to strengthen the research and treatment of birth defects. It's to help couples, especially those in rural areas, to understand the importance of prenatal care, while providing health services for pregnant women who are not covered by the national medical insurance system. Chengcheng has the details.

With the support of China's National Population and Family Planning Commission, the Birth Defects Treatment and Research Center has been set up at Bayi Children's Hospital which is affiliated to the Military General Hospital of Beijing.

Head of the center He Xiyu says health experts there have three main tasks.

"First, we make final diagnoses on puzzling congenital birth defects. Second, we provide genetic counseling for parents who have had a baby with a birth defect and hope to have another child. Third, we do scientific research on birth defects of high incidence, so it can offer a scientific support for the prevention work."

China's birth defect rate has been steadily rising in recent years due to biotic, social and environmental factors. According to statistics from the National Population and Family Planning Commission, four of every 100 children in China are born with a birth defect.

He Xiyu says the most common birth defects include congenital heart defects, cleft lips and palates, and physical and mental disabilities.

Experts point out that to reduce the birth defect rate, China must adopt three lines of defense, which include pre-pregnancy, prenatal and postnatal health checkups. But as He Xiyu says, this is easier said than done.

Zhao Yangyu, Deputy Director of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Peking University Third Hospital, says women in China pay less attention to prenatal health care.

"People, especially pregnant women in rural areas, are required to know the importance of prenatal health care. At the same time, medical insurance is not complete enough to cover all pregnant women, such as pregnant women in the countryside and some farmer-turned workers in the cities."

China launched its first national pre-pregnancy health checkup program last year. Up to now, rural couples, including migrant populations in 220 pilot program areas in 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, have received free pre-pregnancy health services. They include health education, health checks, risk evaluations, health consultations and follow-up studies.

For CRI, I'm Chengcheng.