China is considering redesigning its voluntary premarital health testing as relaxed regulations have caused wide concern that diseases might be transmitted between a couple and their future babies.

The government is designing checkup items to determine whether it is necessary to do HIV virus testing and asking weds-to-be if they know each other's health situation, according to Vice Health Minister Wang Longde.

"(The government) tends to redecide the testing system," he said at a meeting commemorating the tenth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women Wednesday.

Pre-marital checkups were once compulsory for couples in China, who could not get a marriage permit otherwise. But since the Chinese government abolished the compulsive premarriage checkups in October 2003, the percentage of new couples who pay for the checkups dropped sharply around the country.

Figures from the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau show that before October 2003, 99 percent of individuals applying for marriage went through health checkups in Beijing.

But in 2004, only 5.03 percent of the 198,634 individuals applying for marriage did the tests. Of those who had the check, 13.62 percent were found to suffer from infectious diseases or infertility.

The sharp decline of premarital testing rate has ignited hot debates. Those for it hail it as a respect for individual power of choice, while others worry about infectious disease spreading and rising infant defects coming soon.

But Wang said that premarital health testing is not an individual matter but concerns both parties in a couple.

In July, seven ministries in China, including the State Council Women and Children Work Committee and Ministry of Health, jointly held a seminar on premarital health testing. Most of those present agreed that a low testing rate would have serious consequences to society.

They suggested compulsory testing be implemented again, but on a free-of-charge basis.

But some foreign experts attending the Beijing Plus Ten meeting seemed to be conservative about the "compulsory" requirement.

Marina Mahathir, president of the Malaysia AIDS Council, said that premarital health testing should be voluntary and respect the people's right to choose.

At the same time, necessary counseling should be offered to let people understand the importance of the testing.

"If people are forced to take it, they'll find ways to avoid it," she said, adding that compulsory testing may fail to score much if gender equality and women empowerment are not stressed.

Various regions in China have taken different attitudes toward premarital health testing. Shanghai has announced to offer free and voluntary testing to couples while Helongjiang Province in northwest China declared it is a must.

(Xinhua News Agency September 3, 2005)