China's population is expected to enjoy better reproductive healthcare in the coming years as the country carries out three programs to strengthen its efforts in this field.

The three programs, all started in 2001, are: Improving the Quality of Contraceptive Care, Reproductive Tract Infection Intervention and Healthy Baby Promotion.

The programs are now under way in 19 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, and results in some regions are encouraging, said Xiao Shaobo, a senior official with the National Population and Family Planning Commission.

Xiao made the remarks at Peking University at a special session of the seventh meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Advisory Panel for Asia and the Pacific.

Data suggest that intervention in birth defects in east China's Shandong Province has already helped reduce the high rate of problem births there.

In the future, the commission will strive to bring such programs into the country's medium- and long-term planning for scientific and technological development, and the national HIV prevention and control plans, Xiao said.

He also noted the contributions of the WHO and stated that Chinese scientists stand ready to help other countries.

Professor Zheng Xiaoying, director of the Institute of Population Research at Peking University/WHO Collaborating Center and head of the program on birth defect intervention, suggests the information and experience they have acquired should be published as soon as possible and shared with other countries.

Zheng and other experts will further discuss their development strategy on population at the four-day meeting. Also at the meeting, proposals from member countries will be reviewed and approved, if appropriate; regional support priorities will be selected; and future work will be planned.

China is a huge market for reproductive health products and services. There were 344 million women aged 15 and 49 years old in 2000, and 251 million were married. Each year 7.5 million women are newly married.

(China Daily March 24, 2004)