BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijing will send a medical team to China's earthquake zone to reverse sterilization operations on parents who have lost children in the disaster to allow them to have another child, Xinhua said on Friday.
The team will provide technological support for thosewanting to give birth to another child, the agency quoted ZhangShikun, director of the science and technology bureau of theNational Population and Family Planning Commission, as saying.
The announcement comes after a growing number of parentsfrom across the quake-hit area have been demanding thegovernment explain why so many schools collapsed during thequake.
Many parents believe corruption in school construction wasto blame for the shoddy construction.
At least 69,000 people died in the quake.
The medical team will also provide free counselling,guidance, surgery, and the implementation of artificialreproduction technology, for those who wish to have anotherchild, said Xinhua.
Under China's "one child" policies, parents who lose achild or have a disabled child are allowed to have a secondbaby.
The Sichuan provincial Population and Family PlanningCommission estimated about 7,000 dead and 16,000 injured werethe only children of their families.
(Reporting by Kirby Chien; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)
