Zhejiang and Shanghai have launched pilot programmes in some districts offering free check-ups for newlyweds amid fears about the spread of hereditary and infectious diseases.
But experts say further public education efforts and better medical services are needed to encourage people to have the check-ups, as demand for the free services had only been modest so far.
In Shanghai, Luwan district started offering free premarital check-ups last month, but only about 80 couples - a mere 8 per cent of those registering marriages in January - had taken advantage of the free service, according to a Shanghai Morning Post report.
In Zhejiang, the percentage of couples taking premarital medical check-ups dropped abruptly to 1.57 per cent last year from 95 per cent in 2003. The check-up rate in Shanghai was also in a low single-digit percentage last year.
The sharp downturn in premarital check-ups followed the introduction of a new regulation on marriage registration in 2003 which abolished the need for compulsory health tests before tying the knot.
Before mandatory check-ups were abolished, 12 per cent of those tested were found to have hereditary or infectious diseases each year in Shanghai, according to figures from the city's health bureau.
