In an interview with Liu Zhongkai, a member of the party committee and deputy director of the Ji’an Municipal Health Commission, he discussed the significant impact of free genetic testing on reducing serious birth defects in Ji’an City. “Over the past five years, our free genetic testing program has effectively prevented 437 cases of severe birth defects through prenatal diagnosis. We’ve also established health records and intervention mechanisms for 281 at-risk children with congenital hearing loss, thereby promoting high-quality childbirth and child-rearing,” Liu shared during a recent visit by the “Healthy China, Walking Jiangxi” interview team to the Ji’an Maternal and Child Health Hospital.
To effectively reduce birth defects and improve the quality of newborns, the Ji’an Municipal Government launched a comprehensive health screening initiative back in June 2018. This program includes non-invasive prenatal genetic testing, screening for hereditary hearing loss, and testing for thalassemia genes. It was expanded in June 2022 to encompass screening for ten single-gene disorders, leveraging precision medicine to enhance public health.
Dr. Xiao Jie, the head of the hospital’s reproductive health department, explained that while genetic testing technology is quite advanced, the associated costs in the market often make it inaccessible, especially for people in impoverished areas. “By providing health education to target populations, along with free genetic consultations, sample collection, and testing services, we have increased the genetic testing coverage in Ji’an from about 3% to over 90%,” she noted.
One local resident, Ms. Gao Lisha from Qingyuan District, shared her experience: “I learned about the genetic testing program from the official WeChat account, and family and friends highly recommended it. So, I decided to come in for the testing.” She just underwent a non-invasive blood test and expects results within seven business days.
Liu pointed out that the Ji’an government has invested 160 million yuan in the free genetic testing initiative over the past five years, saving over 400 million yuan in testing fees. A health economics assessment revealed that just the non-invasive prenatal genetic testing alone could save nearly 800 million yuan in social costs, demonstrating a return on investment where each yuan spent yields a social value of approximately 11.64 yuan.
Additionally, Ji’an Maternal and Child Health Hospital offers modern rehabilitation services for children, handling over 60% of the rehabilitation for special children in Ji’an, including those with cerebral palsy, autism, and speech disorders. Mr. Huang from Ji’an County mentioned, “I brought my child here for crafts, sensory integration, language, and social rehabilitation training. After more than a year of treatment, my child’s autism has improved significantly, and he can now manage basic self-care and express himself verbally.”
Zhang Minghe, the lead rehabilitation therapist in the children’s rehabilitation department, reported that from 2021 to 2023, the hospital screened 473 children for autism and completed over 38,000 rehabilitation sessions for these children annually.
According to officials from the Jiangxi Provincial Health Commission, starting in 2023, the provincial government has included “birth defect prevention services” in its list of vital public welfare initiatives for two consecutive years. This program has provided four types of prenatal screening and four types of newborn disease screening free of charge to pregnant women and newborns across the province, benefiting over 2.99 million people. Since its implementation, nearly 10,000 cases of fetal deformities and congenital heart diseases have been diagnosed. Going forward, the Jiangxi Provincial Health Commission will continue to enhance its capacity for birth defect prevention, strengthen training for professionals, and improve service quality.
