HK closes doors to non-local parents-to-be

Hong Kong (CNS) -- The SAR's public hospitals are now rejecting any non-local gravida whose husband does not have Hong Kong permanent residency status either, announced Secretary York Chow with the Hong Kong Food and Health Bureau on Wednesday.

The policy will come into force in 2013. The same regulation applied to private hospitals was approved a day earlier.

If only the husband is a local resident, the SAR government has contacted four private hospitals on arranging child delivery services for the gravida.

In this situation, official marriage documents and proof of permanent residency, as well as an affidavit signed by the Hong Kong husband must be submitted. The couple must also sign an agreement allowing the SAR authority to check on their status.

If any of the documents prove to be fraudulent, the couple can be sentenced to prison from seven to 14 years. For gravidas expected to give birth before the end of May, an appropriate extension is permitted for the submission of the marriage certificate issued by a mainland authority.

The ban against non-local parents-to-be will leave enough resources to serve gravidas whose husbands are recognized as locals, Dr. Chow reiterated.