‘I’m very happy’: Hong Kong public hospitals welcome first 4 babies of 2024, with parents set to receive HK$20,000 subsidy
- First baby was born in Queen Mary Hospital at 12.05am, followed by a baby boy at 12.32am in Princess Margaret Hospital
- Parents of baby girl born at 1.36am say they hope their first child will enjoy good health and happiness as she grows up
Hong Kong public hospitals welcomed four newborn babies in the early hours of the first day of 2024, with their parents set to receive a one-time government subsidy of HK$20,000 (US$2,561).
The first baby of the New Year, a girl, was born in Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam at 12.05am, followed by a baby boy at 12.32am in Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung and another girl at 12.36am in Queen Mary Hospital.
The fourth baby, a girl weighing 2.86kg (6.3lbs), was born in Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin at 1.36am to the Yip family.
“I’m very happy,” said the 31-year-old father, who works in transport engineering. “It was rather surprising for our baby to be born on January 1.”
The mother, a 29-year-old accountant, said the expected delivery date was originally Christmas Eve, but the baby remained in her womb for an additional week before a doctor started the labour induction procedure on Sunday.
The parents, both Hongkongers, said they hoped their first child would enjoy good health and happiness as she grew up.
“I’m not going to push her to do anything. It’s fine as long as she is healthy and safe,” the mother said.
The parents have not named the girl yet, only calling her by the nickname “Bao Bao”, which means bread or bun in Cantonese.
“When I found out I was pregnant, I was eating bread every day. I couldn’t even drink water, and I could only eat bread to support myself on those days,” the mother said.
At the private Union Hospital in Sha Tin, the first New Year baby was a boy born at 3.46am.
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The government launched a cash bonus scheme to give HK$20,000 to each baby born after late October last year to encourage childbirth.
Yip, the father of the fourth baby, said it was better than nothing and he would spend the money on baby items.
The mother said it would have been better if the subsidy was given out on a monthly basis rather than as a one-off bonus.
“Babies’ daily necessities consume a huge amount of our expenses. A can of milk formula can cost us about HK$500 to HK$600. Therefore, I think a monthly subsidy would be better than a one-off handout,” she said.
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Authorities announced a series of initiatives in the most recent policy address to encourage childbirth, with the handout to be distributed to eligible parents in the first quarter of this year.
Apart from a cash allowance, families with newborns or young children will also be given priority in balloting and selection for government-subsidised flats under the Home Ownership Scheme. About 10 per cent of flats in each sales exercise will be allocated for priority selection.
Families with young children lining up for public rental flats will also have their waiting time reduced by a year.
