Premarital checks in sharp decline
10/8/2004 11:57
Wendy Zhang/ Shanghai Daily news
Would-be couples
in Shanghai are snubbing to the previously compulsory premarital health checks
after the new marriage law abolished the checks on October 1 last year, the
Laodong Daily reported today.
The proportion of couples having such checks
has dropped to 3.04 percent currently.
Lacking awareness of the medical
functions of premarital checks is the main reason for the drop, said an industry
analyst. Many take it for granted that they are healthy so it is unnecessary to
have the checks, with some too shy to disclose their 'privacy', the analyst
pointed out.
Moreover, the women and children medical institutes are playing
a monopolizing role in offering the checks, with their growing charges while
poor services scaring away locals.
However, doctors insist that such a check
is very important to prevent infectious diseases and ensure the health of the
next generation.
According to local health department, from 1990 to 2003,
premarital checks found 12.2 percent of couples carrying diseases.
The
monopoly of women and children medical institutes should be broken, and all the
qualified medical units can offer such checks with lower costs, the analyst
suggested, adding that a uniform standard should be established. Medical staff
should increase their awareness of protecting couples' privacy, he
stressed.
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