A government-funded screening program is helping families in the city of Ordos, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, identify potential health risks long before a child is born, or even conceived.

The free package, valued at 4,286 yuan ($622.7), includes genetic screening before pregnancy, prenatal testing, newborn disease screening and follow-up health checks for children up to the age of 6. By expanding prevention measures across the entire early life cycle, the city is shifting its healthcare focus from treating illness to preventing it.

While many other cities in China offer similar services, Ordos is pioneering in the breadth of screening categories, the scale of government financing and the number of beneficiaries.

"The aim is to help people of reproductive age make scientifically informed childbirth decisions and reduce birth defects at the source," said Li Li, head of the maternal and child health section of the city's health commission.

Before pregnancy and during the early stages of gestation, residents can receive free carrier screening for 151 recessive single-gene diseases. During pregnancy, noninvasive prenatal testing evaluates risks for chromosomal conditions including trisomy 21, trisomy 18 and trisomy 13, or Down syndrome, Edwards syndrome, and Patau syndrome, respectively.

After birth, newborns undergo gene screening for 247 high-incidence diseases, and receive personalized medication-related gene testing to guide safer treatment. Children under 6 years old can also receive congenital heart disease screening.

Nationwide, most regions' free screening services cover only common diseases and typically end 42 days after childbirth. Similar packages are usually priced at about 1,000 yuan, with additional items requiring out-of-pocket payment.

In Ordos, the expanded coverage removes financial barriers and enables earlier intervention.

"According to our survey, some families failed to complete key screenings because of economic difficulties or insufficient health awareness, making birth defects a potential risk to family well-being and population quality," Li said.

Since its launch in 2025, the program has benefited about 55,000 pregnant women, newborns and children. Early detection has enabled the timely treatment of conditions such as congenital hypothyroidism and phenylketonuria, preventing intellectual and physical developmental disorders. For many families, the screenings have provided clarity and reassurance.

A woman surnamed Fan chose noninvasive prenatal testing after learning it was safer and more accurate than traditional screening methods. The result indicated a high risk of trisomy 21, which was later confirmed through diagnostic testing, allowing her to make an informed medical decision.

In another case, a young couple surnamed Miao and Qin underwent free genetic carrier screening despite having no family history of inherited disease. The test revealed that both carried a pathogenic variant of the GJB2 gene, one of the most common recessive genetic causes of congenital hearing loss. That meant their child would face a 25 percent risk of being born deaf.

Further prenatal diagnosis showed that the fetus did not carry the gene variant. "This screening was like a beacon, guiding us away from a potentially difficult path,"Miao said. "With the follow-up diagnosis, we could enjoy the pregnancy without fear."

The maternal and child screening program is part of a broader preventive healthcare strategy in Ordos. The city was the first in China to offer free HPV vaccination for eligible girls in 2020, years before the vaccine was included in the national immunization program. It also provides free cervical and breast cancer screening for women aged 35 to 64.

Those efforts have produced measurable results. The vaccination rate among eligible girls has risen from less than 1 percent to 45 percent. According to officials, the early diagnosis rate of cervical cancer has reached 95.3 percent, and the treatment rate for cervical cancer and precancerous lesions exceeds 95 percent, "truly achieving early detection and early intervention".

"We overcame major challenges, including the vast territory, difficulties in extending services to the grassroots level and low public awareness in the initial stage. Through measures such as deploying mobile screening vehicles, we ensured that the policy reaches every woman," Li said.

The city's entire life cycle health service programs have driven a sustained increase in the birth rate, with many health indicators outperforming national averages. The city's birth rate was 6.87 per 1,000 in 2024, compared with 6.77 per 1,000 nationwide.

Yang Xia, head of the population, family and aging division of the city's health commission, said the core of the "Ordos Experience" lies in systematic planning, integrated resources and a prevention-first approach, deeply embedding health governance into urban development.

Contact the writers at chenmeiling@chinadaily.com.cn