20% decline expected in HK births by non-locals

Hong Kong (CNS) – It is estimated the number of women giving birth in Hong Kong will drop by twenty percent in 2012, thanks to measures brought in by the local government to limit the number of mainland women making excursions to the region just for that purpose, said official sources on Wednesday.

York Chow, secretary for the Hong Kong Food and Health Authority, said the action ensures the capacity of the medical sector is not strained and that local pregnant women take priority.

Chow said the authority has no plan to categorize non-local mothers-to-be but does encourage private hospitals to take care of women whose husbands are permanent residents of Hong Kong, in addition to offering their services to local pregnant women.

Currently, Hong Kong hospitals charge the fees to the woman, explained Chow. Taking maternity services as an example, the pregnant woman is billed rather than her husband.

According to the Hong Kong Statistics Office, about 95,400 babies were born in Hong Kong in 2011, 7.7 percent more than 2010, the record since 1965. Of those, 41,846 of the mothers are mainland residents.