Let mothers pick hospital, says Hong Kong woman who lost baby at overstretched ward
They are currently taken to the hospital nearest their home, regardless of how many other women are waiting to deliver
A woman whose baby died four days after being born at an overstretched public hospital has called for expectant mothers to have more choice over where they give birth.
Current policy restricts expectant mothers to the public hospital closest to their homes regardless of how many women are booked into delivery rooms.
A look at Hospital Authority figures shows demand varies greatly in the eight public hospitals offering the service. The busiest is Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin, which recorded annual deliveries ranging from 6,201 to 7,301 in the past five years.
Over the same period, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan handled 2,673 to 4,167 pregnancies.
