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Following is a transcript of remarks (English portion) made by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, after attending the special meeting of the Panel on Health Services of the Legislative Council this morning (October 20):
Reporter: (On the proposal to impose higher fees for Mainland expectant mothers delivering babies in public hospitals in Hong Kong.)
Secretary for Food and Health: We notice that the incentive of delivering babies in Hong Kong is not related to financial reason. Most of the Mainland mothers like to have babies having a Hong Kong identity as well as right of abode. At the same time, some of them want to evade the penalty of having a second child in the Mainland. So I think financial deterrence might not be the most effective way of preventing them coming to Hong Kong.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Thursday, October 20, 2011
Issued at HKT 12:26
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