China’s baby bump puts the squeeze on hospitals

 11-Sep-16, South China Morning Post

While demographers still assess the effects on population from the full relaxation of the one-child policy announced last year, pregnant women are feeling the squeeze. Relaxation of the one-child policy is increasing competition for delivery spots in the country’s major cities. The scarcity of beds is in sharp contrast to just a few years ago when a pregnant woman could book a bed after 12 weeks.

Image: South China Morning Post

China forecasts that an extra 17 million babies will be born throughout the country within the next five years due to the policy change. In some of those years, there are expected to be more than 20 million births.

Geng Yutian, deputy director of the Beijing Health and Family Planning Commission, said there had been a surge in pregnancies this year, with an average of 30,000 each month, compared with only about 20,000 per month last year.

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