Chinese hospital issues I-cards on sperm health

Beijing, May 23 (IANS) A hospital in China has begun issuing identity cards to men based on their sperm health. The men are given a certificate, which shows sperm count and health, and a DVD that records the quality, quantity and the movement of the sperm.

The sperm identity cards are being issued at a hospital in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, the China Daily reported.

The identity card is being jointly issued by the Ren'ai Hospital and the Reproductive Healthcare Association.

The first card-holder was a 25-year-old man named Shangguan from Jiangxi province. He received the card after having his sperm analysed at the hospital.

Feng liuxiang, director of the Guangdong Healthy Birth and Child Development Association, said the sperm identity card would help men know more about their reproductive functions and health.

"It will help men avoid sterility and ensure healthy childbirth," he said Feng.

luo ling, a doctor at the hospital who specializes in treating impotence, said the cards would help create awareness on men's reproductive capacity.

The card itself is free but men must first pay 100 yuan ($16) to have their sperm analysed.

The identity card has also sparked a controversy. Some said it was all a show the hospital was putting on.