Good news on infant mortality rates in China - but have the numbers been exaggerated?

by Michael Woodhead

The Economist [aka 'the Monetarist'] is impressed with China's socialist achievement in reducing rates of maternal and infant mortality over the last decade. 

The magazine this week cites a WHO report that praises China for reducing rates of infant mortality from 61  to 12 deaths per 1,000 live births since 1991 - meaning they are now one fifth of what they were in the time of Deng Xiaoping. Maternal mortality rates have also dropped by about 70% over the same period. The improvements are attributed to the introduction of universal health insurance  schemes that subsidise hospital care for maternity care - and also implementation of infant vaccination programs.

The Economist then raises a lot of questions about whether China's vaccination program is as safe and appropriate as it could be - mentioning the recent scare about hepatitis vaccine quality and the ineffectiveness of measles vaccine programs. It even makes an absurd suggestion that China should step back from blanket immunisation and instead test mothers for immunity to various diseases before vaccinating them accordingly.  The overall message, however, is that China deserves credit for a major improvement in mother and baby health.

Coincidentally this week a letter is published in The Lancet Global Health from Chinese researchers questioning whether the gains are as extensive as they seem. Dr You Hua and colleagues at the School of Public Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, write that recent improvements in infant mortality have been confined to rural areas - with little change in urban areas despite much greater rises in standards of living. 

Like WHO, they also attribute the improvements in rural areas to the introduction of the New Cooperative Medical Scheme in 2003. The coverage of this scheme reached 97% of village hospitals in 2011 and the subsidies allowed pregnant women to access antenatal and postnatal services. The Chinese researchers note that maternal mortality rates fell from 65 to 27 per 100 000 between 2003 and 2011 in rural areas, but remained virtually unchanged in urban areas. They speculate that the lack of change in cities may be due to the influx of uninsured women from rural migrant worker families.

Dr You also questions whether the impressive reductions in maternal mortality reported by the government are authentic. She remarks that health departments are financially rewarded for achieving targets such as maternal and infant mortality - and punished for not meeting them. The officially reported figures may therefore be subject to 'inflation', she suggests.

"These reservations notwithstanding, it is important to call attention to the dramatic reduction in rural maternal mortality in China and the lack of progress in the urban maternal mortality. The levelling out of urban maternal mortality in China in the past decade calls for increased attention," the researchers conclude.

Web rumour of the day: doctor sued after helping woman give birth on train

by Michael Woodhead
One of Xinhua's top stories today is about a female doctor who helped a woman give birth on a train from Beijing to Nanjing and was then sued by the mother because the baby was injured. 
Amazing story, but it isn't true, according to Xinhua. The news agency says the whole story was concocted by a disaffected young man from Henan who spread the 'baseless rumour'  on Weixin and caused the legal authorities in Nanjing a lot of grief.
The story started on June 29 when a story went viral on Weixin, Weibo and QQ. It described the case of a female doctor called Li Qian of the Beijing Third People's Hospital, who was travelling to Nanjing by train. A woman on the train went into labour and Dr Li helped to deliver her baby and saved its life. However, during the birth the baby aspirated some amniotic fluid and had breathing difficulties which required treatment at a hospital in Nanjing. The mother sued the doctor for the treatment costs and was awarded 15,000 Yuan compensation by the Nanjing Peoples Intermediate Court.
When the story was posted online it was circulated by hundreds of thousands of' 'netizens'  and elicited thousands of negative comments directed at the stupidity of the Nanjing legal authorities. The following day the Nanjing city legal office became aware of the negative and untrue rumour and reported the matter to the police. They acted swiftly and the original post was traced to a young man in Henan called Shang Mo. The Xinhua article doesn't say who Shang Mo is or what he does for a living, but he was presumably a doctor as he was said to be unhappy about the lack of legal protection for doctors against frivolous and false litigation.
 The legal authorities apprehended the man and Xinhua said he would face 'appropriate punishment from the relevant authorities'. They also reminded netizens that they must act within the law when posting things online and must not 'cross the line' and post material that is illegal and untruthful such as baseless rumours.
Update: The SCMP has now covered this story but with a major difference - it says the perpetrator was motivated by frustration over the law that restricts doctors working at only one location. That is quite different from the report by Xinhua which states that he was angry that "the law did not give doctors sufficient protection" . Not sure why the SCMP has reported this way.

China: medical procedures are now dictated by fortune tellers

by Michael Woodhead 
In the west, patients often do their ‘homework’ by consulting medical books and websites before seeing a doctor – but in China patients are doing their homework with fortune tellers. A new report shows that patients are relying on fortune tellers to decide what date they will have an operation, when to have a caesarean section and even to guide cosmetic surgery for a more ‘fortunate’ face.
At a Liaoning Hospital, head of nursing Ren Yumei says about 80% of women choose to have a caesarean section birth, and many of them are done so they can select the ‘auspicious’ date and time selected for their child’s birth from fortune tellers consulting the books of the “Great Immortals’.
“Many women and their families demand not just the day but the hour of birth according to horoscopes, they won’t accept any deviation,” she says.
In Anshan, head surgeon Wang Yongshen says the same thing is now happening with patients requiring elective surgery. Patients demand a specific time for the operation – sometimes even in the early hours of the morning.
“Even when they know that surgery in the middle of the night is likely to be less safe and effective they opt for it because of the influence of the fortune tellers,” he says. And when hospitals refuse these unscientific requests, patients turn to smaller private clinics that are happy to cash in on the new fad for ‘auspiciously timed medical procedures’, even though their medical standards are often suspect.
Obstetric nurse Ren Yumei says she is concerned to see mothers and families putting their baby’s health at risk by forcing an early delivery just to have a ‘lucky’ birth timing. She says the health risks of premature birth are well known, including respiratory and developmental problems as well as blood and cardiovascular risks.
A surgeon at a cosmetic clinic in Shenyang says he even sees patients who wish to change their appearance based on advice from fortune tellers. He had one young man who insisted on having surgery to give him a bigger chin because this would make him appear more bold and daring, in accordance with his horoscope, according to an adviser. He went ahead with the operation despite medical advice that it would restrict his jaw movement.
Professor Zhang Bao of the Tianjin Institute for Social Sciences says the new trend is anti-scientific and a remnant of ‘old thinking’ superstitious ignorance. He said the two schools of thought could not co-exist and there would be a collision between the two.
He said many ‘fortune tellers’ were in business for personal gain and they made extravagant claims that had no regard for the welfare of the patient. He said such practices should be strictly supervised and exposed for what they are. If they continued to provide harmful advice fortune tellers should be prosecuted and punished, he said.
The original report is published by Xinhua.

Six of the top medical news stories from China

1. China has a huge shortage of midwives, and would need a further 800,000 to meet the WHO standard of one for every thousand women of child-bearing age, according to a new report. Health officials say the problem will worsen as China adopts a two child policy.

2. Efforts to control pneumococcal disease and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) in children by vaccination are failing due to low immunisation rates and delayed immunisation, a study from Shanghai shows. A review of vaccination records for 28,000 children up to the age of seven found that 51% had one dose of Hib vaccine and 11.4% had one dose of pneumococcal vaccine. Only 8.2% of children had Hib vaccine at the right time and only 0.5% had timely pneumococcal vaccine. Rates were particularly poor for migrant children, the study found.

3. Rates of hypertension have increased in China and yet treatment and control of the condition remain poor, according to researchers from Shandong. In a study of more than 4000 people they found that the incidence of hypertension increased from 2.9 per 100,000 people in 1991–1997 to 5.3 in 2004–2009 Antihypertensive treatment and control rates for hypertension were 5.7% and 1.7% in 1991–1997 and 19.9% and 7.6% in 2004–2009, respectively.

4. The rate of disabilities from road crashes in China has skyrocketed as the number of cars on the road has increased over the last two decades. The incidence rate for road traffic disabilities increased over time from 1.50 per 100,000 people in 1980 to 11.2 per 100 000 persons in 2005, according to Professor Zheng Xiaoying of the Institute of Population Research, Peking University.

5. Malaria is still a major problem in central China especially during floods and rainy periods of the summer. A study from Mengcheng County, Anhui found that there were 3683 malaria were notified during the study period of May to October 2007 Most of the cases occurred a week to a month after flooding and waterlogging. Public health action should be taken to control the potential risk of malaria epidemics after wet weather, the researchers from Shandong University said.

6. The recent outbreaks of H7N9 avian influenza also resulted in many mild and asymptomatic infections as well as severe life threatening cases, researchers from Guangdong have reported. Their surveillance program noted 21 cases of infection in Guangzhou, China in 2013 and 2014, of which several were mild or asymptomatic infection. Family clusters occurred, suggesting limited person-to-person transmission of the H7N9 virus, they said.

Beijing’s 3-point reform plan for maternity services

by Michael Woodhead
Maternity services are to shift from hospitals to community health centres and women will not be allowed to have routine Caesareans unless there is a valid medical indication, Beijing health officials have announced.
New reforms are needed in maternity policies to cope with the expected increase in births as China moves to a two child policy, according to the city health department.
Under new measures, three new basic policies will be introduced. These are for women to register first with a community health centre rather than a maternity hospital. Following tests at six week of pregnancy, women will be enrolled on the maternity database, and women will then be graded into one of four levels according to risk of pregnancy. Only high-risk pregnancies (such as in older women) will be managed in tertiary level hospitals. Low risk births will be managed in local hospitals and clinics, the new policy states. In addition, women will no longer be offered caesarean section unless there is a good medical indication. The head of Beijing maternity services department says caesareans must be discouraged because China already has a 45% rate, which is much higher than the WHO benchmark of 14%. In addition, caesarean birth mean women spend longer in maternity hospitals, taking up scare resources, she said.
Health officials said the maternity system was already at breaking point with something like 94% occupancy of obstetric beds and thus no additional capacity to cope with a two child policy. Maternity services will be expanded but they also must be used more rationally, the officials said. By managing low risk pregnancies outside the hospital system, this will free up beds to deal with high risk pregnancies, they said.

China has the highest rate of caesarean births in the world: time to act

by Michael Woodhead
Almost half of Chinese women give birth by caesarean section, a rate that is three times higher than the 15% recommended by WHO, according to two Chinese clinicians writing in The Lancet this week.
Dr Mi Jie and Dr Liu Fangchao of the Capital Institute for Paediatrics in Beijing say China has an urgent need to reduce the number of caesarean births because they have a high risk of related complications or death, and because babies delivered by caesarean section are more likely to have respiratory problems, obesity, and other metabolic diseases.
The doctors list five non-medical reasons why China has a 42% rate of caesareans:

1. Women fear pain and loss of vaginal tone after natural birth. They see caesareans as safer faster and less painful.
2. Women wrongly believe that they will regain their pre-pregnany figure better after caesarean birth.
3. Chinese women like to choose a 'lucky' date to have their baby by caesarean.
4. Doctors prefer to schedule the caesarean for convenience and to avoid medicolegal disputes with vaginal birth
5. Caesareans are more profitable for hospitals (12000 yuan vs 6000 yuan for natural birth).
The authors of the letter to the lancet call on the government to take control the rate of caesarean section in China,
"The Chinese government should develop specific policies and measures, such as use of rate of caesarean section without medical necessities as one of the hospital’s overall rating components, and popularising of natural childbirth," they write.
Hospitals and communities should promote health education in women of reproductive age to provide a more accurate idea of delivery," they conclude.

Today's Top 10 China medical news stories

1. China is to launch a national cervical cancer screening program to test 10 million Chinese women annually, the National Health and Family Planning Commission says. The move follows concerns about increasing rates of cervical cancer, especially in women under 35. China has 130,000 new cervical cancer cases a year and up to 30,000 deaths a year due to the disease.

2. Vaccination rates have fallen as much as 30% since the hepatitis B vaccine safety scare over the deaths of 17 infants, immunisation experts say. They said the drop in vaccination rates could put up to 500,000 infants at risk of serious vaccine-preventable diseases.

3. In a landmark study, Shanghai clinicians have shown that pulse oximetry is a simple and accurate method for detecting major congenital heart disease in newborn babies in China. Writing in the Lancet, they say the method should be used in all maternity hospitals.

4. Salmonella in China is becoming resistant to most antibiotics including ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone and azithromycin, "posing huge threat to public health and infection control" say clinicians in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

5. A Beijing doctor was punched by the husband of a pregnant woman who said the doctor had pinched her stomach and threatened to kill her. The woman admitted she had first cursed the doctor when she believed she had been ignored by him.

6. Seven leading hospitals in China have signed an alliance agreement to for a National Team to tackle difficult diseases.

7. Kindergartens in Beijing have been struck by the norovirus gastro bug and dozens of children are showing symptoms such as diarrhoea and vomiting.

8. Young Chinese people do not wish to pursue a career in the medical sector, as jobs in medical services were ranked lowest in a survey of desirable careers by recruitment site zhaopin.

9. Complaints about fake drugs and medical devices being sold online are the most frequent calls to the China Food and Drug Administration hotline.

10. Hospital clinics in Shanghai are overflowing with three-four hour waiting times and yet community clinics are sitting almost empty and 'general practitioners see few patients because the public has little confidence in the level of services provided, according to an article in China Daily.

Milk formula propaganda pushes Chinese women’s breast feeding rates down to 16%

by Michael Woodhead
Breast feeding rates among Chinese women have declined dramatically in the last decade, and are now as low as 16% for women living in urban areas, official figures show.
The proportion of women in China breast feeding up to six months declined from 67% in 1998 to 28%, according to an article in China Youth Daily.
Data from the National Health and Family Planning Commission show that breast feeding rates are now 16% for urban women and 30% is for rural women.
The dramatic reduction in breast feeding rates has been blamed on society attitudes, pressure from workplaces and extensive promotion of milk formulas to new mothers.
In theory, Chinese women are encouraged to breast feed with protections written into law that guarantee them two 30 minute breast feeding breaks at work without being penalized in their income. Breast feeding mothers are also guaranteed an additional one month of maternity leave by law.
However, although many women start breast feeding in hospital they soon stop because the reality of the workplace is that there is no encouragement to breast feed and often many obstacles. Most workplaces do not have places where mothers can breast feed and many women feel under pressure from employers against breast feeding.
The other major factor in deterring breastfeeding is the promotion of milk formula, experts say. Despite the introduction of milk formula advertising regulations in 2006, milk formula is still promoted aggressively and misleadingly to women in China. Claims are made that milk formula is ‘just as good’ as breast milk and more convenient.
Experts say it is difficult for public hospital maternity nurses and doctors to counter the extensive and well-funded ‘propaganda’ of the milk formula companies, which lead to many women being misinformed about the relative benefits of breast feeding and formula feeding. They recommend that breastfeeding should continue for at least for six months and up to the first birthday if possible.
Professor Zheng Lu of the department of community health at Tsinghua University said there was a need for more societal support for breast feeding. He said there was a need for nursing rooms in workplaces and other positive incentives for women to encourage breastfeeding.

Doctors warn that abortion is being used as a regular contraception method by many Chinese women

translated by Michael Woodhead
Private clinics are encouraging women to use abortion as a regular method of contraception, doctors in Guangxi have warned.
Some women are having as many as six abortions and putting themselves at risk of infertility and other complications because abortion is promoted by commercial clinics and hospitals as quick and risk-free method of managing unwanted pregnancy, according to an article in Straits Economic Online.
Dr Li Jingjing, deputy head of the obstetrics and gynaecology department at the Liuzhou Workers Hospital said she had seen women who had as many as 12 abortions because of ignorance about family planning methods and misinformation about abortion circulated by some clinics.
She said some women resorted to abortion because they had unwarranted fears about using oral contraceptives, believing they had harmful side effects. Other women without children said it was too early to consider tubal ligation and their husbands were unwilling to use condoms. Dr Li cited the recent example of a 28-year-old women who had already had six abortions and despite feeling it was 'not quite normal' had little idea of the harms it caused.
Dr Li said there were many such "ignorant and fearless" women and the number of repeat abortions was high, although there were no official statistics available. With 17 years experience in obstetrics and gynaecology, Dr Li said she found younger women were more and more indifferent to the use of abortion and some of them fell into the habit of using it a a regular method of contraception.
One of the reasons was the widespread advertising of "quick and painless abortion" services by private clinics and some hospitals. The adverts for these clinics, which promised "One sleep and it's all fixed - zero harm" were a kind of malpractice, said Dr Li.
A reporter visited several hospitals in Liuzhou and found that abortion was offered for 500-2000 yuan and promised to be painless and convenient. Some even offered '10 minute' procedures for abortion in early pregnancy. Hospital websites also featured prominent advertisements inviting women to have abortions, the reporter found. Hospital figures showed that 85% were first time abortion, 10% were second time and 4% were third abortions. This information confirmed that the abortion situation was 'chaotic', the reporter concluded.

China's medical news for Friday 31 January

Breast milk contains high levels of DDT
Breastfeeding mothers in Zhejiang have high levels of DDT in their milk, a study has shown. Researchers said the high levels of DDT found in breast milk were in excess of safe limits and showed that human milk was "grossly polluted". The DDT was thoght to come from seafood in the diet, the researchers said in the journal Environment International.

Shanghai obesity myth dispelled
Shanghai researchers have dispelled the concept of 'metabolically healthy obese'. In a study of more than 211,000 people over 40 i 25 areas of China they showed that  obesity was a risk factor for  CHD regardless of the presence or absence of insulin resistance. The findings are published in the International Journal of Cardiology.

Zinc levels linked to naughty children
Low zinc levels have been linked to behavioural problems in pre-school children in China. A study conducted in 1314 children in Jintan, Jiangsu found that low zinc levels were significantly associated with increased reports of total behavior problems. Living in the suburbs was associated with increased internalizing problems, while higher mother’s education and being female were associated with decreased externalizing problems, the study in the journal Nutrients found.

N95 face masks prove effective

A study of the effectiveness of N95 masks in Beijing has found that they are protective against bacterial colonization, co-colonization and viral-bacterial co-infection. The clinical trial of 1441 hospital staff found the rate of bacterial colonization was 2.8% with N95 mask users, 5.3% in medical mask users  and 7.5% in staff who did not wear any mask. Co-infections of bacteria and/or a virus  occurred in up to 3.7% of healthcare workers and were significantly lower in N95 wearers, the study in Preventive Medicine showed. (NB: See our earlier story that found N95 masks were a poor fit for Chinese faces).

Medicine costs and hospitals

The Economist has an article explaining why China's hospitals are dependent on revenue from drug sales for their financial viability. The magazine says efforts to reduce corruption will be difficult until the system is reformed, as hospital derive 40% of income from commissions on medicines and medical products.

China has psychotherapy boom

Mental disorders have traditionally been a taboo subject in China, but SBS reports that a reality television show Psychological Sessions has been captivating audiences across China. And a researcher says there is now a 'psychotherapy-boom' in China as people have become aware of modern-day stresses and the need for treatment. 

Women don't get a fair go in health

Women face medical discrimination in China as they appear to have lower rates of treatment than men, a study suggests. Published in the International Journal for Equity in Health, the study finds that women have lower rates of hospital admission than men for the same conditions. Women also have lower rates of investigations and shorter hospital stays compared to their male equivalents.

China's medical news headlines for Sunday 19 January

Hepatitis B vaccine given the all clear

The Shenzhen Bio Kangtai hepatitis B vaccine that was linked to the deaths of 17 infants has now been given the all clear by the Chinese state drug authorities. After an investigation the China Food and Drug Administration and the National Health and Family Planning Commission said the vaccine could be used again as no problems have been found with the hepatitis B vaccine. Authorities tested more than 1300 vaccine samples from six batches that were under suspicion. According to the People's Daily, the CFDA said all samples met the quality standards. The NHFPC said the 17 infant deaths were due to other problems, including severe pneumonia, kidney failure and suffocation.

In Guizhou, retired doctors asked to work in rural clinics

Retired medical specialists in Guizhou are being urged to lend their expertise to rural area clinics, according to China Daily. Professor Sun Fa of Guiyang Medical University told a meeting of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Committee that there were about 600 retired doctors from the province's five top hospitals of whom half were healthy enough to work in rural clinics.
He said they could help the more than 40,000 medical staff in township clinics, many of whom have only medical qualifications from secondary colleges or no degree at all.

Guangdong plans for baby boom

The new two-child family planning policy will not pose a big challenge to public services such as medical care, a top health and family planning official from Guangdong province has said.
Zhang Feng, the former director of the Guangdong population and family planning commission, said 1.1 million to 1.2 million babies are  born in the province each year. and the new policy will see about 130,000 more babies each year. "The baby boom will bring little social impact," he said at the province's annual legislative meeting.

China's smoking ban is unrealistic, says NBC report

A report by Ed Flanagan of the American NBC News says that the recent anti-smoking measures announced by the Chinese government may be as unsuccessful as previous attempts. The article says China has 350 million smokers and the habit is deeply ingrained in society. Previous attempts to curb smoking resulted in "No Smoking' signs being put up but they were widely ignored, says Flanagan. He says the Chinese media have given no details of how the new policy will be enforced. The move also face resistance from the powerful tobacco industry in China, he adds.

 New Yorker profiles China's gene factory BGI in Shenzhen

The New Yorker has an in-depth profile of the gene factory B.G.I., (Beijing Genomics Institute), which is said to be the world’s largest genetic-research centre, located in Shenzhen. The report by Michael Specter says BGI has 178 machines to sequence DNA, and produces at least a quarter of the world’s genomic data. This could help provide new solutions to disease and other areas such as agriculture, he writes.

Medical news from China's media

In the China Daily, womens' hospitals says they are being inundated with inquiries from women about having a second child following the amendment to the family planning policy in early November. One hospital, the Women's Hospital of Zhejiang University's School of Medicine has opened a consultation clinic for women considering a second child.

Xinhua reports that two more babies have died after receiving hepatitis B vaccinations, this time in Shandong province. However, the report does not say which brand of vaccine the cases are related to, even though the Shenzhen Bio Kangtai vaccine has been withdrawn.
According to the provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention they have also received a report of a baby that died in October after a hepatitis B vaccination.
At least twelve infants are reported to have died in China after receiving vaccines against Hepatitis B.

The People's Daily has a report on gay college students being targeted for HIV prevention measures, as the number of cases in young gay men in China is increasing dramatically. The article says that in
Guangzhou there have been 117 cases of HIV in 48 colleges or universities, according to  the Guangzhou Disease Prevention and Control Center. Ninety percent were infected via homosexual behavior, with high risk sexual activities being common. Students are being targeted for safe sex behaviour campaigns and also for HIV testing.

CRI reports that a tourist from mainland China has brought H7N9 influenza into Taiwan.
Disease control authorities said an 86-year old  tourist from Jiangsu was confirmed with H7N9 avian influenza. The man showed first symptoms on December 19 and has been hospitalized since Dec 24.
This is Taiwan's second case of H7N9, the first imported case  occurred in April this year.

Beijing maternity hospitals add more beds in anticipation of two child families

The city of Beijing has announced that it will add more maternity beds to get ready for its new birth policy, the municipal health bureau reported on Dec 29.
That new policy allows couples to have two children, and is expected to lead to an increasing in the number of expectant mothers in the near future, so, the city is looking for ways to deal with a possible baby boom, in 2014.
The bureau explained that the city has 127 obstetrics hospitals or institutions with 4,466 beds in all, 13 top ones, with 135 beds, and 73 second-tier, with 2,853 beds. The top-level hospitals with better medical services are always crowded, while the rest are less so.
In addition to more maternity beds, there will be more emergency equipment in hospitals, and various types of training to improve emergency-room responses and keep risks at a minimum.
Source: Beijing Daily

Shenyang health chief sacked after lunchtime sex romp with top female doctor

"Get a room". That's what the head of the Shenyang health department Yan Shi did when he wanted to have closer relations with Dr Li Chenyang, the head of the Shenyang Women and Children's Hospital. And now their lunchtime meetup at a local hotel has cost both of them their jobs. The couple were found to have spent three hours together in a hotel room from 10am to 1pm on 27 November. After viewing evidence from room cards and close circuit TV,  the city's Party Discipline Inspection Committee has told Mr Yan to hand in his resignation, while Dr Li has been suspended from her post at the hospital.
Source: Beijing Daily

Shaanxi obstetrician on trial for selling six babies to human traffickers

Zhang Shuxia, an obstetrician who allegedly sold new born children to human traffickers, is on trial at the Intermediate People's Court in Weinan City in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.
Zhang is charged with selling six children between November 2011 and July 2013 with one of them dying during the commission of the offence. Zhang allegedly gained tens of thousands of yuan from the trafficking.
On July 16, 2013, Dong Shanshan, a local resident in Shaanxi Province's Fuping County gave birth to a baby boy at the Fuping Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital. Zhang, who was deputy director of the hospital's maternity department, told her and her husband Lai Guofeng that the child suffered from syphilis and hepatitis B transmitted from the mother and would not survive.
Zhang did not let the couple see their baby but said he had already been taken away.
Lai questioned the doctor's diagnosis and took his wife to another county hospital for syphilis and hepatitis B tests the following day. Two days later, the test results showed his wife was free of both diseases.
On July 20, Lai contacted police who investigated and found the baby in central China's Henan Province 20 days after he was born.

Doctors prepare for surge in demand for maternity care

The government's relaxation of its birth rule to allow more couples to have a second baby provided an instant stimulus to maternity-care and fertility centers on the Chinese mainland.
Preparations for changes that will come with the new policy — which authorities expect to be implemented early next year — are now under way.
Late last month, the Obstetrics & Gynecology Hospital affiliated with the Zhejiang University took the national lead by opening a special consultation unit designed to help newly eligible couples have a healthy second child.

Post-natal care comes with a hefty price tag

Post-natal care in China has taken a new twist in recent years. Modern moms are after non-conventional ways to help them recover after childbirth. Westernized, one-stop services are popular among first-time parents who are the only child.
First-time mom Xun Yanna was looking for a modern answer to the Chinese tradition of Zuoyuezi.
The term refers to new mothers having to stay indoors and not work for the first month after giving birth.
"I don't have to worry about anything. I have everything I need to recover and to feel and look energized again. It's every woman's dream to have this five-star service," Xun says.
Five-star service with a hefty price tag - some start at around 120-thousand reminbi or about 20,000 US dollars. But Xun says most modern moms like herself go against tradition and don't want to burden their parents.
They prefer professional post-natal care and don't mind paying.

Dermatologist warns of dangers from China's latest craze for breast milk soap

With people's support for breast milk running high, soaps made of breast milk have become hot sellers on Taobao, China's online store, the Nanning Evening News reported.
Such soaps are generally produced by sellers who are also mothers of newborn babies. Li Zhen is one of them.
It is a waste to dump surplus breast milk every day, which has a short shelf life, she said. She decided to make it into soaps and put some on Taobao for sale.
With her side business, Li has jumped on a popular trend. A Taobao keyword search for "breast milk soap" yields more than 3,000 results, with prices ranging from 10 yuan ($1.60) to 58 yuan ($9.30). One store sold nearly 1,000 items in a month.
Some sellers claim that the soaps, with no chemical additives, adapt to all types of skin and can be used on babies. Praise and satisfaction abounded in the customer comments.
However, Xie Fangming, a dermatologist in Nanjing, said breast milk, like saliva and blood, can transmit disease if the moms are not healthy, and what's more, breast milk can easily be contaminated with bacteria and germs.
Source: Beijing Daily

Cellist promotes maternal and child health in NW China

Trey Lee, Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF ambassador and world-renowned cellist, shared with the media in Beijing on December 19, 2013, the details of his recent visit to remote Xunhua County in northwest China's Qinghai Province to promote UNICEF's work with the National Health and Family Planning Commission to improve maternal and child health and nutrition.
Lee also talked about playing music with the migrant children from Changxindian Central Primary School in Beijing and his experiences in Qinghai, including moving stories about a female village doctor and a boy suffering from cerebral palsy.

Hospitals launch second child clinics to deal with new family planning policy

by Hu Qingyun
After striving to get up at 4 am, and starting to queue at 6:30 am in the hospital hall, Wang Juan and her husband finally secured an appointment at 10 am with a famous obstetrician at a clinic specializing in second children in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.
The obstetrician asked thoroughly about Wang's health, including whether, like the majority of Chinese mothers, she gave birth to her first child through a Caesarean.
In a latest decision, the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee allowed couples to have a second child as long as either the husband or the wife is from a one-child family. Previously, the policy required both to be single children.
The easing of the family planning policy delights but also worries Wang, who unlike her husband is an only child. She is the mother of a 3-year-old girl but now yearns for a second child.
"I'm 38 now. I have to consult obstetricians on whether it's OK to do so," said Wang, a white-collar employee in Hangzhou.