It is getting more and more difficult for expectant mothers to get appointments with doctors or register for childbirth at hospitals in Beijing, Beijing Times reports. After the implementation of China’s two-child policy, beds at major hospitals in the capital have become a hot commodity.
The Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning estimates that Beijing will hit a new record with 300,000 newborns this year. In previous years, the number hovered around the 60,000 mark. Roughly 30 percent of the babies born in the capital this year will be second children.
These heightened numbers are posing challenges for the city's pregnant women, however. The Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital issued a notice on August 2 announcing that registration is fully booked until March 2017. Similarly, there are no beds available at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Peking University People's Hospital until April 20, 2017.
Registration is full until April 2017 at Peking University Third Hospital, the Huilongguan Branch of Beijing Jishuitan Hospital and Beijing Chuiyangliu Hospital. And these are just a few examples.
The high demand for beds and childbirth registration has caused scalpers to take advantage. At top hospitals such as the Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, scalpers have been known to charge up to RMB10,000 (USD450-1,500) to women looking to get an appointment with a doctor or to register for childbirth, the same article reports.
These challenges have caused many women to seek care outside of the city, including less crowded places like Hebei.
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