By Su Xingwei and Jiao Lipeng

BEIJING, Dec. 9 (ChinaMil) -- China has achieved regular treatment of birth defects and deformities for military children since November 2019, according to the Health Bureau of the Logistic Support Department under China’s Central Military Commission (CMC).

Now, military children afflicted with any of the 131 listed diseases can choose from any of the 27 designated military medical institutions for free treatment. Undoubtedly, this policy will help improve the health conditions of military children with birth defects and promote the military families’ well-being.

To form and improve full-process prenatal care and childbirth service system, the health authorities of Chinese military have organized its 10 hospitals to provide periodic treatment for more than 1,300 military children who were afflicted with seven common diseases since 2015, effectively preventing and reducing the disability rate of newborns with congenital abnormalities. With the implementation of the “two-child policy” in 2016, the Chinese military, considering the increase of pregnant women with advanced maternal age in the army and the distinctiveness of military profession, began to change its efforts to treat military children’s birth defects and deformities from a preferential policy to universal policy, and gradually achieved regular treatment of congenital organ defects and dysmelia for military children.

It is said that the regular birth defect treatment policy covers children diagnosed by military or civilian hospitals at grade 3 or above to “have organ and limb deformities due to birth defects,” whose parents (either fathers or mothers) are serving in the army, are retired military officers, non-commissioned officers or those who were transformed into civilian personnel during the period of the military reform.