The number of mainland women giving birth in public hospitals has dropped by more than a third since the Hospital Authority raised obstetric fees for non-local women, but one in 10 of them left without settling their bills.
This left the hospitals owed about HK$11.2 million, the authority said.
Overwhelmed by an influx of pregnant mainlanders, the fees for non-locals were raised in February from HK$20,000 to HK$39,000, and HK$48,000 for those without a prior booking.
According to a paper prepared by the authority, 2,646 non-locals - mostly mainland women - gave birth in the public hospitals in the first five months of the new charges, a 38 per cent fall from the 4,310 in the same period last year.
About 20 per cent, or 537, did not have bookings, but this number was also well down.
On average, two non-locals gave birth a day in June after admission through accident and emergency departments, compared with 24 in June last year.