Press Releases
SFH on obstetric services
Following is the transcript of remarks made by the Secretary for Food and
Health, Dr York Chow, after attending a radio programme today (June 25):
Reporter: (about Hong Kong people being disadvantaged in view of the growing
competition from Mainlanders)
Secretary for Food and Health: Our existing policy is to ensure that Hong
Kong women would have sufficient quota in both the public and private
healthcare systems, so that they can deliver babies as they wish. The
limitation is only applied to the non-local women, particularly those coming
from the Mainland. There should not be any problem with the Hong Kong
pregnant mothers intending to give birth in Hong Kong.
Reporter: (about provision of obstetric services to Mainland pregnant women
with Hong Kong husbands)
Secretary for Food and Health: The Hong Kong Government or Hong Kong medical
services can never fulfill all the wishes of non-local mothers coming to
Hong Kong. Our focus of services should be limited to serving Hong Kong
people at the first priority. Only when we have surplus capacity, we can
entertain patients, and for this matter the pregnant women from other
places. That is the reason why we have to cap the number of non-local
mothers delivering babies in Hong Kong from both the public and private
sectors.
Reporter: (about advice to those families with Mainland marriage)
Secretary for Food and Health: I have repeatedly mentioned that they should
make their planning early. If they intend to have babies in Hong Kong, they
also need to book early. If not, they have to consider giving birth in the
Mainland where their wives are residing.
Reporter: (about long-term solution on the increasing number of delivery by
non-local women)
Secretary for Food and Health: The existing policy is addressing
particularly the concern about the increase of non-local pregnant women
trying to deliver their babies in Hong Kong, causing a burden for our
maternity as well as neonatal intensive care services. The reason why we
impose the ban is to ensure that the capacity is maintained at a level that
we can keep our professional standards. This is what we intend to do. What
you are asking is regarding the future of the babies and the implication to
the Hong Kong society. Certainly this is another issue which is being
studied by various bureaux, including mine regarding the health needs and
also the needs of medical services for infant babies in future. We feel that
the existing number is something that we can cope with, but we cannot allow
it to expand without any limit. I think this is also a concern of the whole
society.
(Please also refer to the
Chinese portion of the transcript)
Ends/Saturday, June 25, 2011
Issued at HKT 12:30
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