context: Due to decreasing birth rates, many gynaecology departments in hospitals across the PRC have been closing down, jeopardising the career prospects of many obstetricians. To encourage more births, the NHC (National Health Commission) issued a notice that asks public hospitals to ensure the survival of midwifery services and ob/gyn (obstetrics and gynecology) departments.
According to the requirements, midwifery services should be able to be performed in at least
- two public hospitals in counties (cities and districts) with more than 300,000 people
- one public hospital in counties (cities and districts) with less than 300,000 people
Other requirements include
- ensuring relevant primary public hospitals have midwifery service capacity in areas with sparse population and inconvenient transportation
- before deciding to shut down a gynaecology department, public hospitals should widely solicit the opinions of admitted pregnant patients as well as submit requests in writing to local sub-district offices (township governments) and county-level health administrative departments
The relevant person in charge of the NHC (National Health Commission) Maternal and Child Health Department says midwifery institutions will
- improve maternity beds by introducing higher quality and more inclusive services
- improve hospital resources to increase the number of single and double rooms in maternity wards
The latest data show that infant mortality rate in the PRC has dropped to 4.5 per thousand, while the maternal mortality rate has dropped to 15.1 per 100,000. Both data rank China at the top among middle and high-income countries in the world. The national hospital delivery rate is 99.94 percent, meaning that all hospital deliveries are basically achieved.