Institutional improvement is needed to let all pregnant women enjoy the same medical facilities, says an article in Beijing News. The following is an excerpt:

Latest statistics show that the maternal mortality rate (MMR) in Guangdong Province is 20 per 100,000 births but the MMR for the migrant population in the province is 40 per 100,000 births.

This phenomenon is not rare. In Beijing, the MMR was 7.9 per 100,000 births last year, equaling the level of developed countries. But the rate for the migrant population was three to five times that for people with permanent residence registration.

Several factors have led to the higher MMR rate among the migrant population.

These people are in the cities for a relatively short time and most hold low-paid jobs. Their incomes are generally lower than those of their urban counterparts with permanent residence registration. The women face a hard life and some continue to work while pregnant, increasing the risk of a miscarriage.

Only a few of the migrant population enjoy medical welfare. Fees at public hospitals are set according to the income level of those who qualify for welfare benefits. Many migrants are not able to pay these fees and seek out cheaper hospitals.

Medical facilities at these hospitals are not up to standard, hence the higher MMR.

City governments must do something to change the situation. The MMR of the migrant population can be reduced if current regulations are amended.

City governments should consider covering migrant pregnant women in the urban medical welfare system or at least provide welfare for them during their pregnancy. After all, to give birth to a baby is of great significance to a family as well as the nation.

Women who have lived in a city for one or two years, for example, should be able to enjoy medical welfare. It would not be too much of a burden on the public purse. Of course, in the long-term, there should be a unified welfare system to cover all pregnant women in the country.

The government should consider this when establishing a universal welfare system.

(China Daily September 6, 2007)