Hong Kong tightens rules for mainland mums

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HONG KONG: The Hospital Authority (HA) will double fees for mainland mothers giving birth in Hong Kong and withhold birth information until all fees are paid in a bid to cut down on the delinquent medical bills that have been straining the special administrative region's healthcare system. The measures, part of a collection of new rules released yesterday, were aimed at combating problems arising from the large number of mainland mothers who default on payments after giving birth in public hospitals. Many mothers from the mainland travel to Hong Kong to give birth in order to secure a Hong Kong identity card for their children. The HA's board yesterday endorsed a package of measures proposed by its Administration and Operations Committee (AOM) to deal with the growing problem, which has not only caused huge financial losses, but also increased the workload of hospital workers and deprived local mothers of services.