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Pre-pregnancy check-ups urged for men and women

Yesterday officials from the Prenatal Genetics Department encouraged married women and men to get pre-pregnancy health checks in order to avoid unforeseen problems that may occur during pregnancy or after the birth of their child.

"A pre-pregnancy health check-ups is the most basic step in the area of prenatal genetics," said Tsan Shun-hua (昝舜華), the head of the department.

She also said that getting a clean bill of health could help reduce the number of women not giving birth.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Interior 21,6000 childbirths were registered last year, a decrease of 4.7 percent from the previous year. The number of childbirths also decreased from 1.76 in 1994 to 1.24 in 2003. In contrast, the number of elderly people increased from 10.8 percent in 1993 to 13 percent in 2003.

Check-ups will take place from starting in December and a NT$1,515 subsidized fee will be provided for women, and a NT$655 fee for men. Places are limited to 800 in number.

Hospitals that provide pre-pregnancy check-ups include the Songshan Armed Forces Hospital, Taipei City Hospital, Cathay General Hospital, Country Hospital, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan National University Hospital, and Mackay Memorial Hospital.
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