China will increase the number of maternity beds by 89,000 over the next three years to help hospitals cope with the extra demand resulting from the second-child policy, it was announced today. [Special coverage]
Li Bin, the minister of the Health and Family Planning Commission, said a "green passage" has also been set up to ensure efficient patient referrals and quality neonatal treatment.
The moves are part of efforts to better meet clinical demands, particularly for women aged 35 or older who want a second child. China introduced its universal second-child policy last year.
About half of the women who became eligible to have a second child are aged at least 35, according to the commission's data.
