Liu Qian, China's vice health minister, has disclosed to Chinese media that medical institutions at all levels of the country will provide free pre-natal check-ups for pregnant women and post-natal house calls as well as free growth development checkups for children under three years old.
A survey conducted in 2005 showed that the growth levels of children in urban areas in China was up to the standard of the World Health Organization, but the growth level of children in the countryside was still lower than their peers in the cities, and in some rural areas in the central and western part of China, malnutrition was still the main factor that limits children's growth and health.
The survey revealed that only 65.3% of the babies under four months old and just 49.2% of the babies under six months old are breast-fed, and among children of poor areas who are less than two years old, 27.1% took formula milk powder, 54.9% were fed dairy food other than formula milk powder, 50.8% ate food with soybean additives, and 63.9% ate meat.
Liu said that during the country's medical service reform, effective measures would be taken to make up for the poor nutrition of children who are less than five years old, and a system will be set up to monitor children's health and nutrition, in addition providing the check-up services for pregnant women and children under three years old.
