Baby boom in China - maternity hospitals overloaded with expectant mothers

China has done away with the one-child norm and, as a result, is set to witness a baby boom because Chinese women are rushing to have a second baby - the country's government has allowed all families to have two children this year. It was on January 1, 2016, that the Chinese central government launched the so-called 'universal two-child policy' treating it as a way to tackle the country's aging population.
Chinese family-planning authorities are predicting that there will be an extra three million babies born annually in the next five years - that will push the annual number of births to 21 million.
This has been reported in nzherald.co.nz dated 5 August 2016.

Expectant mothers are finding it a hard tie to get their screening done at hospitals due to the long queues - some have to make appointments three to four months in advance because most hospitals have been crowded with expectant mothers every day since February. The decision had been taken in January.
Obstetricians across China are overwhelmed by the number of patients. One hospital had 45 beds in the fifth section of obstetrics and thy had to add 30 extra beds. Hospitals are witnessing a shortage of not only hospital beds, but also obstetricians and postpartum nannies. One hospital has informed that last year, its obstetrical department received 800-900 patients every year whereas, now, the figure is more than 1,000 daily. The number could go up to 1,200 at busiest.
The two-child policy is not just creating a baby boom but is also slated to give a boost to China's economy in the form of endless new toys and clothes. It is expected that this ongoing baby-boom will generate a yearly increase of up to 50 billion yuan (NZ$0 billion) in the consumption related to infants.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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