Mainland women flood Hong Kong to give birth

By Joy Lu in Hong Kong and Chen Hong in Shenzhen (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-10-22 07:37

"Shenzhen mom dies during childbirth in a Hong Kong hospital!" screams a newspaper headline. But if this was intended as a warning to mainland women planning to have their children in the special administration region, it has fallen on deaf ears.

Wang Fengxia died on Oct 10 of amniotic fluid embolism, a rare allergic reaction during childbirth, and her family has raised questions about possible malpractice.

However, pregnant women from the mainland are still pouring into the region, even after the local government banned public hospitals from offering obstetric services to mainlanders until the end of the year, citing the upcoming peak childbirth season and the necessity to accommodate local women.

This only served to divert mainlanders to the more expensive private hospitals. At the popular Hong Kong Baptist Hospital and Union Hospital, it is already too late to book a bed for due dates earlier than next March.

Delivering a baby in Hong Kong has become increasingly popular among mainlanders. Figures from Hong Kong's Hospital Authority show that the number of mainland women giving birth in Hong Kong has risen from 620 in 2001 to 25,000 in 2008.

Some mainlanders are having babies in the region in the belief that fines for breaking the one-child policy, which can be three to five times a parent's annual income, might be waived if the baby is delivered in Hong Kong.

"We already have a girl, but our tradition prefers boys. So we tried our luck in Hong Kong," said Ding Guizhen, from Chaozhou of Guangdong province, who gave birth to a boy in a private Hong Kong hospital two years ago.

Another big reason for giving birth in the region is the benefits. According to Hong Kong law, children born in the region automatically become permanent residents. This carries with it free education, welfare payments in Hong Kong and visa-free travel to more than 100 countries in the world.

Liu Haiyun, a 28-year-old mother-to-be in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality, said she's now considering delivering her baby in a private hospital in Hong Kong.

She came across the idea just a month ago when her husband got an unexpected assignment to work in Hong Kong for a year. By then she was six-months pregnant.

"I was told by an agent that it's too late to book with public hospitals in Hong Kong," Liu told China Daily.

The agent advised her to give birth in a private hospital, which provides better service but is more expensive.

Hong Kong's Hospital Authority has imposed charges of at least HK$39,000 ($5,000) for each non-resident birth in public hospitals since 2007, but the services are almost free for Hong Kong residents.

Private hospitals charge HK$50,000 for natural labor and HK$60,000 for Cesarean delivery.