A woman who is pregnant with her second child receives a check-up in Neijiang, Sichuan province, in March.[Photo by Li Jianming/For China Daily]

About 3.5 million had birth control apparatus removed last year; more are expected to follow

Health workers in China are expected to help at least 3.5 million women remove intrauterine devices following the implementation of the universal two-child policy this year, according to China's top health authority.

Local health authorities will continue to provide such services for free during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20) to help couples have a second child, Song Li, deputy head of maternal and infant healthcare at the National Health and Family Planning Commission, said at a news conference on Monday.

About 3.5 million women had their intrauterine devices removed by local health authorities last year, and more are expected to do so this year, she said.

Eighteen million women who plan to have a second child need to have their intrauterine devices removed, and most will do so within the next three years, Song said.

China has been relaxing its family planning policy gradually in recent years, as it faces a declining fertility rate and an aging population.