National Health and Family Planning Commission Announces Enhanced Maternal and Child Healthcare Infrastructure and Expansion of Obstetric Beds in 2017

On January 22, the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) held a press conference. Qin Geng, Director of the Department of Maternal and Child Health under the NHFPC, stated that in 2017, the situation regarding meeting the new demand for maternity services and ensuring maternal and infant safety remained severe, with heavy tasks ahead. The NHFPC required strengthening the construction of maternal and child health institutions at the provincial, municipal, and county levels, improving service conditions, and enhancing service capacity. In regions with prominent supply-demand contradictions in midwifery services, obstetric beds were to be expanded. Meanwhile, capabilities for treating critically ill pregnant women and newborns should be improved, and referral and consultation networks for such cases should be strengthened to ensure unobstructed emergency “life channels.”

Qin Geng stated that 2016 was a pivotal year for implementing the universal two-child policy and advancing the Healthy China initiative. In 2016, the number of live births from hospital deliveries across China reached 18.46 million, representing an 11.5% increase from 2015, with significant rises in the proportion of second-child births and high-risk pregnancies among advanced maternal age women. In 2016, the national maternal mortality ratio declined to 19.9 per 100,000 live births, while the infant mortality rate and the under-five child mortality rate decreased to 7.5‰ and 10.2‰, respectively, marking a steady decline from 2015 levels.

Qin Geng pointed out that in 2017, the situation remained severe and the tasks still arduous in meeting the growing demand for maternity services and ensuring maternal and infant safety. On January 20, the National Health and Family Planning Commission convened a national conference on maternal and child health, putting forward clear requirements for strengthening maternal and child health services to support the full implementation of the universal two-child policy, with emphasis on the following key areas:

First, expand resources for midwifery services. To address the overall insufficiency and structural shortages of maternal and child health service resources, accelerate the implementation of the Maternal and Child Health Service Assurance Project,Strengthen the development of maternal and child health institutions at the provincial, municipal, and county levels, improve service conditions, enhance service capacity, strive to meet public needs, and ensure that pregnant and postpartum women receive higher-quality and more compassionate care.For regions with prominent supply-demand imbalances in midwifery services, strengthen targeted guidance to encourage medical institutions to tap into internal potential and expand the number of obstetric beds.Meanwhile, by leveraging mechanisms such as maternal and child health service consortia, telemedicine, and paired assistance programs, we are actively promoting the decentralization of high-quality healthcare resources to enhance service delivery capacity at the primary care level.

Second, enhance the capacity for the treatment of critically ill pregnant and postpartum women and newborns.Relying on medical institutions with strong obstetrics and pediatrics capabilities and comprehensive emergency treatment capacities, accelerate the construction of critical care centers for pregnant women and newborns, improve the referral and consultation networks for critically ill pregnant women and newborns, enhance treatment capabilities and standards, and ensure unobstructed "life channels" for emergency care.By the end of 2017, each province shall establish several critical care centers for pregnant and postpartum women and newborns; cities and counties shall each establish at least one critical care center for pregnant and postpartum women and one critical care center for newborns.

Third, we will promote high-quality maternal and child health services. Building on the pilot initiatives launched last year,Promote the nationwide use of a unified Maternal and Child Health Handbook, and advocate for strengthening essential healthcare services throughout the entire childbirth process.Integrate services including preconception care, prenatal care, inpatient delivery, child healthcare, immunization, and family planning to provide women and children with systematic, standardized, full-course eugenics and childcare services, thereby establishing a comprehensive service chain for the entire reproductive journey. Leveraging initiatives such as the Demonstration Project for High-Quality Maternal and Child Health Services and the accreditation of maternal and child health institutions, innovate service models, optimize service processes, and enhance the quality of maternal and child health services.

Since the nationwide implementation of the two-child policy in 2015, obstetrics and gynecology departments across China have successively experienced a peak in childbirths. Coupled with improvements in living standards, every expectant mother desires a private delivery space, which has driven a significant increase in demand for hospital beds and accelerated the trend toward premium services in obstetric and gynecological hospitals. In response, the National Health and Family Planning Commission proposed requirements to improve service conditions, enhance service capacity, and strive to meet public needs, ensuring that pregnant women can access higher-quality and more compassionate care.

Beyond maternal and child health services, the shortage of pediatric hospitals and physicians constitutes a major “supply-demand mismatch” in healthcare. Shenzhen has decided to build the city’s second children’s hospital (a municipal public hospital) in the Minzhi area of Longhua New District, with 1,500 planned beds; to introduce social capital for the construction of a new children’s hospital in the Bao’an Central District, with 500 beds; to plan and construct another children’s hospital in the Longcheng area of Longgang District, with 500 beds; and to expand and renovate existing maternal and child health institutions to increase pediatric medical resources, such as the Phase II project of the Shenzhen Maternal and Child Health Hospital and the on-site expansion and renovation of the Pingshan New District Maternal and Child Health Hospital.Meanwhile, Shenzhen is also actively encouraging social capital to establish specialized pediatric medical institutions in the city.

From the physicians’ perspective,Policies have been introduced across various regions to rationally adjust the pricing of pediatric medical services, increase fiscal investment, appropriately raise the compensation and benefits of pediatric healthcare personnel, and enhance talent attraction.Recently, Liu Zhongmin, a deputy to the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress and President of Shanghai East Hospital affiliated with Tongji University, revealed that Shanghai East Hospital has increased the monthly bonuses for its pediatricians from 5,000 yuan to 15,000 yuan to boost their income. It is not only Shanghai East Hospital taking such measures; a doctor at a well-known Grade A tertiary hospital in Jilin Province disclosed that, starting from January 1, 2017, the hospital would provide monthly allowances of 2,000–3,000 yuan to its pediatricians.