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The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The Hospital Authority today (August 5) announced that the bookings for delivery in public hospitals would be closed for non-local pregnant women if their expected delivery dates fell between September and December to ensure adequate provision of obstetric services for local expectant mothers during the coming obstetric peak season.
A Hospital Authority spokesman said a series of new measures for obstetric services were implemented in public hospitals on February 1, 2007, to ensure sufficient places for local pregnant women as well as managing the demand on obstetric services by non-local women.
"These new measures so far have been successful in reducing the number of non-local pregnant women giving birth in public hospitals and allowing the authority to devote its capacity for local pregnant women. The number of non-local women giving birth in public hospitals was reduced by around 27% in 2007 as compared with that in 2006 while the number of local women giving birth in public hospitals increased by around 8% in 2007 as compared with 2006."
"The increasing trend of local pregnant women giving birth in public hospitals is projected to continue this year. In the light of this increasing trend and with the imminent advent of the peak season for obstetric services in Hong Kong, proactive measures have to be implemented to ensure that the available capacity in public hospitals will be sufficient to meet the demand from local pregnant women. It is necessary for the Hospital Authority to suspend delivery bookings for non-local women in the coming peak months from September to December.กจ
"Bookings by non-locals for the expected delivery date beyond December 31, 2008 will still be accepted," the spokesman said.
Ends/Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Issued at HKT 16:21
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