Beijing to push premarital checkups

Beijing wants to increase the rate of premarital medical checkups to at least 50 percent by 2020 to prevent birth defects and disabilities, according to a new municipal disability prevention action plan.

The document was released by the Beijing Disabled Persons' Federation and the Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning on Friday.

Last year, less than 11 percent of newlyweds in Beijing had premarital checkups, statistics from the commission showed.