The State Family Planning Commission will further enhance scientific
and technological research on new and safer contraceptives over
the next five years.
Research on new
reproductive healthcare technology will also be strengthened
for both men and women, a commission official said yesterday.
The scheme has
been worked out in response to public demands for fewer but
healthier births and for better reproductive health, according
to Zhao Baige, former director of the Science and Technology
Development Department under the State Family Planning Commission.
The commission
has recently completed an investigation on the most sought
after reproductive health services among people of child-bearing
age.
Results show that
the most urgent demand is for safe contraceptives to avoid
unwanted pregnancies, the second is for provisions to ensure
the birth of healthy babies and the third is for more facilities
for the maintenance of physical fitness, said Zhao.
Another survey of the commission indicates that health conditions
for Chinese women are improving, but that more must be done
in the area of reproductive healthcare.
The survey, conducted
among 16,000 women aged 15 to 49, revealed that 44.3 percent
of the women knew very little about menstruation before they
started their periods.
Nine per cent of
women aged 15-19 reported gynaecological problems. The rate
climbed to 30 per cent among women aged 30-34 and to 35 percent
among women over 35.
The lack of reproductive
knowledge has affected the health of the next generation -
about 200,000 babies are born each year with health defects,
1.3 percent of all newborns.
Zhao said that
in the five years from 2001-05, the country will concentrate
on the development of new contraceptives such as pills for
men, and will promote these products to enable people to select
those most suitable for them.
The commission
will develop new prenatal diagnosis technology to prevent
birth defects as well as some new measures to prevent and
cure sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS.
Research will also
be carried out on the prevention and control of gynaecological
diseases, breast cancer and prostate illnesses.
Zhang Yuqin, vice-minister
of the State Family Planning Commission, said that the commission
will prioritize basic reproductive services for the public
to meet their demands in the new century, and that the final
target is to encourage people to relinquish old customs that
favor more children and more sons and to put more stress on
the quality of life.
Zhang feels confident
that the upcoming First China Reproductive Health/Family Planning
New Technology & Products Exposition will help ensure
the success of the plan.
The event, to be
held at the Beijing Exhibition Hall on World Population Day
in July, is the first such activity organized by the State
Family Planning Commission.
Many new reproductive
products from home and abroad will be on show and symposiums
will be organized to disseminate knowledge and exchange experiences
during the four-day fair.
(China Daily 02/07/2001)
|