Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region saw record low maternity and infant death rates in 2015 thanks to improved healthcare conditions, according to the regional health and family planning commission.
The mortality rate of Tibetan women during pregnancy, at or after delivery was halved from about 23 per 10,000 people in 2009 to 10 per 10,000 last year, statistics released by the commission showed.
In addition, the mortality rate of infants in Tibet was reduced to 16 per thousand in 2015 from 21 per thousand in 2009.
During the period, the proportion of Tibetan women who gave birth in the hospital increased from about 51 percent to 90 percent.
When the plateau region was liberated in 1951, its maternal and infant death rates stood at 5,000 per 100,000 people and 430 per thousand respectively.
"Twenty years ago, expecting mothers in remote areas had their children die on the long journey to the hospital. Even if some made it to the hospital, the mother had a small chance of survival due to inadequate medical conditions," said Tsetha, a retired doctor in Gerze County.
Currently, the government covers hospital delivery costs for mothers from farming and pastoral areas. Since 2009, it has invested 1.8 billion yuan (274 million U.S. dollars) in prevention of birth defects and training of professionals.
Tibet will start building its first region-level hospital specialized in obstetrics, gynecology and paediatrics this year.
