December 20, 2009

Interesting article about a growing number of mainland Chinese mothers giving birth in Hong Kong. The article told the story of one Beijing-based freelance journalist who temporarily moved to Hong Kong with her husband in June and had her child in September. She had this child in Hong Kong because she plans on having a second child; and under China's "one child" family planning policy, she wouldn't be able to give birth to two children in mainland China. As her first child was born in Hong Kong, "as far as the Chinese government is concerned, he doesn't exist -- not officially anyway." In other words, his birth doesn't count. This allows this woman and her husband to have a second child in mainland China, where they are based permanently.

This loophole has resulted in an increase of expectant mothers from mainland China heading to Hong Kong hospitals in recent years. For the first six months of the year, 44 out of every 100 babies born in Hong Kong had mainland Chinese mothers. In 2002, the figure was about 18 out of 100. The number has increased since 2002 when border controls were eased.

Many women also like to come to Hong Kong to give birth because they feel that Hong Kong has better medical facilities, which often have Western-trained doctors and nurses. Another added bonus is that their child born in Hong Kong automatically receives permanent residency status, which entitles them to benefits including free education and medical care in Hong Kong. Furthermore, the child gets a Hong Kong passport with visa-free access to more than 100 countries.

Giving birth in Hong Kong has become so popular that various "pregnancy booking services" have started up. The services include arranging the expectant mother's travel permits to Hong Kong and help finding hotel rooms. The women now choosing to give birth in Hong Kong are often affluent professionals from Beijing or Shanghai (this trend is a sign of China's growing affluence). These women fly to Hong Kong, stay in hotels or rent apartments while awaiting the delivery, and they're willing to pay for top medical care. These women have negatively been referred to as "pregnancy tourists" by those who live in Hong Kong.

As a result of this growing trend, Hong Kong authorities have tried to curb the flow of mainland women giving birth in Hong Kong. In 2007, officials implemented a new pricing scheme in public hospitals that charges mainland women far more than locals. This has caused some controversy, especially among mainland women who are married to Hong Kong men, and live in Hong Kong, but they are still charged the fee. In addition, Hong Kong authorities announced in October that they were suspending all maternity ward bookings at public hospitals for mainland mothers for the rest of the year. Hong Kong authorities want to ensure that there is enough room for Hong Kong women during the peak baby season. However, the suspension does not affect private hospitals and they are still allowing mainland mothers. These private hospitals think the trend of mainland mothers giving birth in Hong Kong is a good thing -- it helps them fill their maternity wards and helps to raise revenue. (Full Story)