Surge in China DNA paternity tests after call to record nation’s unregistered citizens

2-MIN READ2-MIN

An employee examines DNA samples at a forensic testing centre in Sichuan province. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Published: 12:43pm, 18 Feb 2016Updated: 12:43pm, 18 Feb 2016

Chinese institutes providing forensic DNA-testing services have received a windfall after the government vowed to register all citizens currently excluded from the nation’s household registration system, mainland media reports.

Genegle Forensic, a third-party testing organisation in Sichuan province, received so many appointments for DNA paternity tests that its staff could not take time off during the Lunar New Year holiday, the Chengdu Commercial Daily reported.

“There are phone inquiries and people coming to do tests every day,” an employee at the institute was quoted as saying.

“During the Lunar New Year holiday, we received about 300 calls and did 40 tests. In previous years the number was almost zero.”

READ MORE: China officially ends one-child policy

China’s decades long one-child policy officially ended in December and was replaced with a two-child policy. Photo: SCMP Pictures

The demand for taking DNA tests started after the State Council, China’s chief administrative authority, issued a directive last month, which told provincial governments to come up with concrete measures to register citizens that did not have a household registration, or “hukou”.