HK may adjust quota for mainland mothers

Hong Kong's Secretary for Food & Health York Chow said on Friday that the city government will review the need for an adjustment in the quota and policies regarding pregnant mainland women giving birth in Hong Kong.

Speaking at a media session on Friday, Chow said the government will discuss the issue with the Hong Kong Hospital Authority and private hospitals over the next two months.

He said the government has cut the quota for non-local women giving birth in Hong Kong to 35,000 for 2012, to ease demand for obstetrics services.

"We can see local mothers are giving birth more now, which is a very good sign, and more young people are getting married as well. This is very encouraging for Hong Kong. So we must reserve sufficient capacity for local parents," he said.

Chow said the government needs to adjust the quota every year, and is discussing the issue with mainland authorities to deter people from trying to bypass the birth-registration system.

According to statistics, about 88,000 babies were born in Hong Kong, among them about 41,000 were given birth by mainland mothers.