China population: Maternity wards being shut down amid declining birth rate; Here’s all you need to know

At a time when the Chinese population is graying, its birth rate has come down dramatically. It has prompted the authorities to downsize and close down many hospital obstetrics units and maternity wards. Several hospitals in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Guangxi, Guangdong, and other provinces have downsized their obstetrics units.

Chinese population shrinks

With just 9.56 million births, China’s birth rate registered a drop of nearly 10% in 2022 compared to 2021. It is significant considering the fact that the population shrank for the first time since 1961, a year of mass famine in China. At a time when the South Asian giant is already facing the problem of a greying population, the shrink in number may plunge the country into a demographic challenge and derail the GDP growth.

One-child policy scrapped

In an attempt to address the problem, Chinese policymakers scrapped the one-child norm in 2016 and allowed families to have up to three children. Sichuan province abandoned limits on birth registration. In fact, it encourages couples by offering cash subsidies for second and third children. But as young people increasingly put off or decide against child rearing altogether, the three-child policy appears to be too ambitious.

Birth Rate continues to fall

But the ground reality is that these policies have had no effect on child birth rate, which keeps on declining. Despite government efforts, the number of childbirths has halved since 2016. Young women in particular hesitate to have more children as they that the costs of raising a child are too high. Urban, educated and upwardly mobile women are not ready to accept the patriarchal family norms that come with having a child.

Why are obstetrics units being closed?

The authorities have not linked the recent closure of obstetrics units to the falling birth rates. A healthcare center in Guangxi province said in April that it would stop offering deliveries in the obstetrics and gynecology unit because of the increasing number of high-risk pregnancies. Similarly, the Second Hospital of Yinzhou, situated in the eastern city of Ningbo, announced that it would no longer be offering maternal diagnosis and treatment services.

FAQs:

When did the Chinese population shrink?
The Chinese population shrank in 2022, for the first time since 1961, a year of mass famine in China.

When did the Chinese government scrap the one-child policy?
In an attempt to address the problem of declining population, Chinese policymakers scrapped the one-child norm in 2016 and allowed families to have up to three children.