Beijing should encourage more newly married and engaged couples to take free health checkups before they start a family in a bid to reduce the number of babies being born with birth defects, a senior health care worker has urged.

Pan Ying, director of the health care department at Beijing Maternal and Child Health Hospital, said the rate in the capital of children born with defects has risen from 13 per 1,000 in 2003 to 17 per 1,000.

Prior to 2003, couples had to undergo the health checks before they could get married. Today, the checks are optional.