Editorial | Only fair for Hong Kong to have rules on birth ‘gatecrashers’
As the number of non-local pregnant women trying to deliver in Hong Kong rises again, a policy to ensure sufficient care for residents is essential
Babies have been a priority for Hong Kong in recent years during its push to boost birth rates as the population ages.
So it may have surprised some to see authorities turn away some of the growing number of non-local pregnant women arriving at the border without proper hospital bookings.
The city has had a “zero-quota” policy for more than a decade. It was imposed after a large number of pregnant mainland women, whose husbands were not Hong Kong residents, showed up at emergency wards to deliver babies who then secured the right of abode.
Non-local women who have been expecting for 28 weeks or more must show immigration officers proof of a delivery booking at a private hospital when they enter as visitors.
Director of Immigration Benson Kwok Joon-fung told lawmakers earlier this month that officers had consistently carried out checks on non-local pregnant women since 2013 when the pre-booking requirement was introduced.
The policy eased pressure on maternity wards at public hospitals, but recent figures show the problem persists. The number of women refused entry for lack of certificates is five times higher than it was in 2020, according to the Immigration Department.