From June 1, 2009, Beijing will start providing congenital disease screening for newborns and regular physical checkup for children less than six years old.
According to a notice jointly issued by the Beijing Municipal Health Department and the Beijing Municipal Finance Bureau, disease screening for newborn babies includes the screening of congenital hypothyroidism, neonatal phenylketonuria, congenital hearing impairment, congenital heart disease, and congenital dislocation of the hip.
Regular physical examinations is available to children under six. Children who fall into this age group should be taken to their community hospital, or to hospitals designated by the government,to enjoy the free service. The notice says that children less than one year old can enjoy six free checkups each year, toddlers who are more than one year old and less than two years old can receive two free checkups per year and those who are above three years old but less than six years old can enjoy one free checkup every year.
The fees involved will be shared by the municipal finance department and each district or county finance department. It is understood that Beijing will need to spend more than CNY10 million on this service each year.
However, both services will be only available to children who have a Beijing hukou or where at least one parent is permanent Beijing resident with a Beijing hukou.
