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The Government announced today (August 6) that the existing special arrangements to facilitate Mainland expectant mothers whose husbands are Hong Kong permanent residents or Hong Kong residents who came to Hong Kong on the Permit for Proceeding to Hong Kong and Macao (One-way Permit) to give birth in private hospitals will continue in 2013.
With effect from August 10, the spouse of the afore-mentioned residents of Hong Kong with expected delivery date in 2013, after antenatal checkup in Hong Kong and upon referral by the attending doctor, can make delivery bookings at local private hospitals.
To verify their identities when making the bookings, each couple will be required to submit the following documents to private hospitals:
* A Hong Kong certificate of marriage, or a certificate of marriage notarised by a notary public office in the Mainland;
* The husband's Hong Kong permanent resident identity card or Hong Kong identity card;
* The husband's Permit for Proceeding to Hong Kong and Macao (if he is not a Hong Kong permanent resident); and
* An oath taken by the Hong Kong husband to confirm the authenticity of the marriage certificate provided and/or their marriage relationship.
Each couple will also be required to sign a consent form authorising the authority to conduct checks with the relevant Hong Kong and Mainland departments on their marriage certificate, identity and other documents.
According to the arrangements, the private hospitals may issue Confirmation Certificate on Delivery Booking (Confirmation Certificate) based on the documents submitted by the couples concerned and the availability of obstetric services. The Department of Health will closely monitor and conduct checks and refer suspect cases to law enforcement agencies for follow-up action.
Currently, non-local pregnant women who are pregnant for 28 weeks or more have to produce the Confirmation Certificate issued by Hong Kong hospitals for checking by immigration officers when they enter Hong Kong. Those who cannot produce this certificate may be refused entry.
The Government has earlier announced that "zero quota" would be allocated to non-local pregnant women whose husbands are non-Hong Kong residents in 2013. Also, the Hospital Authority has already suspended the taking of any bookings by non local pregnant women for delivery in Hong Kong in 2013 due to capacity constraints.
Ends/Monday, August 6, 2012
Issued at HKT 20:12
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