A couple whose son was born without any fingers on his right hand have taken the hospital that allegedly failed to notice the birth defect to court.

They are claiming 230,000 yuan ($33,300) compensation for the mental anguish they say they suffered when they realized their son was deformed.

The hospital allegedly failed to notice the problem despite carrying out six antenatal examinations.

In a statement, the hospital said it was unaccountable for the issue.

"It is not like we chose to hide the truth deliberately, we didn't find any problem due to defects in the medical equipment and the physical condition of the mother herself", it said.

However, the plaintiffs are insisting that it was the hospital's failure to fulfill its responsibilities that led to their son's disability.

They further added that the hospital had infringed on their right to healthy reproduction, and demanded 199,451 yuan compensation plus an allowance worth 40,000 yuan, which the defendant rejected at the court in Beijing on Tuesday.

Wang Pengyuan contributed to this story.