Private hospital doubles fees for mainland Chinese mothers
A private hospital plans to double its fee, to at least HK$200,000, for mainland mothers who come to its emergency ward to give birth, starting from next year.
Union Hospital announced the new measure on Monday to deter women who enter the city illegally, who have no hospital booking or who overstay their visa from rushing to the emergency ward at the last minute to give birth. The hospital has the city’s only private emergency ward.
“Our emergency ward may be not able to refuse the gate-crashing cases, for humane reasons,” said deputy medical director Dr Ares Leung Kwok-ling.
“On top of the extra fee, all those who seek to give birth in this way at our hospital will be reported to the police and related authorities.”
Under a “zero quota” imposed by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, no mainland woman without a Hong Kong husband will be able to book a maternity bed starting from next year.
About 7,000 babies were born last year at the hospital, in Tai Wai, of whom 60 per cent were to mainland mothers.
