Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Wealthy Nation TodayWealthy Nation Today

Latest News

China to make all hospitals offer epidurals to incentivize childbirth

China said that by the end of this year all tertiary level hospitals must offer epidural anesthesia during childbirth, a move it said would help promote a “friendly childbearing environment” for women.

Tertiary hospitals – those with more than 500 beds – must provide epidural anesthesia services by 2025 while secondary hospitals – those containing more than 100 beds – must provide the services by 2027, China’s National Health Commission (NHC) said in a statement last week.

Authorities are struggling to boost birth rates in the world’s second largest economy after China’s population fell for a third consecutive year in 2024 with experts warning the downturn will worsen in the coming years.

Around 30% of pregnant women in China receive anesthesia to relieve pain during childbirth, compared with more than 70% in some developed countries, the official China Daily said.

The World Health Organization recommends epidurals for healthy pregnant women requesting pain relief and it is widely utilized in many countries around the world, including France, where around 82% of pregnant women opt to have one, and in the United States and Canada where more than 67% do.

The move will “improve the comfort level and security of medical services” and “further enhance people’s sense of happiness and promote a friendly childbearing environment,” the NHC said.

A growing number of provinces across China are also beginning to include childbirth anesthesia costs as part of their medical insurance schemes to encourage more women to have children.

High childcare costs as well as job uncertainty and a slowing economy have discouraged many young Chinese from getting married and starting a family.

In June, health authorities in China’s southwestern Sichuan province proposed to extend marriage leave up to 25 days and maternity leave up to 150 days, to help create a “fertility-friendly society.”

This post appeared first on cnn.com

You May Also Like

Latest News

Salvage crews have recovered the boom from the $40 million Bayesian luxury yacht, which sank off the coast of Sicily in August 2024, killing...

Latest News

This week’s clashes between Pakistan and India are the most serious escalation in tensions between these two historic foes in decades with millions on...

Stock News

In this video, Joe shares how to trade MACD signals using multiple timeframes, and how to spot stock market pullback setups that can help...

Latest News

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of the United States has been elected the 267th pope and has stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica...