Parents of miscarried babies in Hong Kong get first-ever government facility for fetuses lost before 24 weeks
- Bureaucratic hurdles have made providing proper burials for early-term fetuses difficult
- Plots at the Garden of Forever Love, in Wo Hop Shek, will be available from Thursday
Parents of miscarried babies can begin applying for burial places for their lost children at Hong Kong’s first government facility from Thursday, the health minister has said.
The Garden of Forever Love, on Kiu Tau Road in Wo Hop Shek, is the first government-managed facility offering burial services for fetuses miscarried before 24 weeks.
“The name of the facility means that parents’ love for their babies is forever,” said Secretary for Food and Health Professor Sophia Chan Siu-chee, who visited the facility on Wednesday.
Places for 300 of the early-term fetuses would be offered in the initial phase of applications, which Chan said would start on Thursday. The garden also provides a stand for offering flowers, a board for cards and a wall for commemorative plaques.
The service, open to parents who are Hongkongers, would be free of charge. Plots would be allocated on a first come, first served basis.