Free pre-marital health checks across Guangdong soon

GUANGZHOU: In a bid to curb a "significant rise" in the rate of defective births over the past few years, Guangdong municipal authorities may soon offer free pre-marital health checkups for couples across the province.

Until 2003, pre-marital physical checks were mandatory across the country.

But earlier this year, a number of delegates to the provincial people's congress proposed the authorities offer the checkups free of cost across Guangdong to encourage more couples to undergo certain physical tests before tying the knot.