Hong Kong
Reuters
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China said that by the end of this year all tertiary level hospitals must offer epidural anesthesia during childbirth, a move it said would help promote a “friendly childbearing environment” for women.
Tertiary hospitals – those with more than 500 beds – must provide epidural anesthesia services by 2025 while secondary hospitals – those containing more than 100 beds – must provide the services by 2027, China’s National Health Commission (NHC) said in a statement last week.
Authorities are struggling to boost birth rates in the world’s second largest economy after China’s population fell for a third consecutive year in 2024 with…
