The Hong Kong government will take steps to stop pregnant
mainland women who have not undergone proper medical check-ups from
entering Hong Kong to curb the increasing misuse of hospital
resources.
The government announcement came after an inter-departmental
meeting, headed by Chief Secretary for Administration Rafael
Hui.
Government statistics show that the number of babies born to
mainland parents in Hong Kong had risen from 620 to more than
10,000 in five years. Also, some mainland women had not settled
their hospital bills, putting more pressure on the SAR's medical
system.
The government generally welcomes tourists, Secretary for
Security Ambrose Lee said, but some pregnant mainland women were
not coming as tourists, even though they had valid tourist visas,
but to misuse Hong Kong's public resources.
The government will discuss with the mainland authorities ways
to stop such women from entering Hong Kong, he said, although they
could be denied entry even under the existing laws despite having a
tourist visa.
"The Director of Immigration has the authority to ban the entry
of tourists if he finds that they are not coming to Hong Kong for
tourism," he said. The Health, Welfare and Food Bureau and the
Hospital Authority will be consulted on ways to stop such women
from misusing their tourist status in Hong Kong.
But, Lee said, the government will not ask the National People's
Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) to interpret the Basic Law to
tackle the problem.
Some academics had suggested that NPCSC interpret the Basic Law
to clarify the rights and benefits enjoyed by children born to
mainland parents in Hong Kong.
"The government has stressed many times that the interpretation
of the Basic Law is an important and sensitive issue. We will not
carelessly ask for an interpretation. Under the circumstances, we
should aim at providing enough labour facilities for local women
and reduce the use of medical resources by mainland women soon," he
said.
Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food York Chow, too, said
steps would be taken to deter pregnant mainland women who have not
undergone pre-natal check-ups from abusing Hong Kong hospitals'
emergency services, though a concrete plan to tackle the problem
was yet to be devised.
The government has analysed the January-June data on local
pregnant women who underwent pre-natal medical check-ups, and found
that hospitals have enough capacity to cater to their needs.
Chow said the Hospital Authority would announce a series of
measures to tackle the problem after discussing it at a board
meeting.
The government will ensure that local women get the medical care
they need, and strengthening of resources was under
consideration.
(China Daily HK edition December 15, 2006)