Authorities report more second child in Hohhot

The number of second child born in Hohhot during 2016 was 8,295, according to the Information Office of Hohhot Municipal People's Government. [Photo/nm.people.cn]

The number of second child born in Hohhot during 2016 was 8,295, an increase of 59.03 percent on the same period last year, according to the announcement made by the Information Office of Hohhot Municipal People's Government on Oct 25.  

Hohhot recorded 20,989 new births last year. Second babies or even additional ones accounted for over 38.6 percent of the total, an increase of 13.6 percent since the universal second-child policy adopted in January last year.

"Hohhot has enacted policies to encourage families to give birth to a second child and continued to provide a solid foundation for the implementation of the universal second-child policy," said Liu Yuanjun, deputy director of Hohhot health and family planning commission.

The city invested 672 million yuan ($101 million) to build a maternal and children's healthcare service center, which opened to the public earlier this year.

The government also plans to add 1,000 maternity beds in hospitals and institutions by the end of this year. The number of pediatricians will also increase to handle the expected increase in births.

With investment of 2.4 million yuan ($360,000), a cloud platform has been established to share information between hospitals and institutions.

Meanwhile, Hohhot has promoted the grid management of pregnant women. In 2016, a total of 1,517 pregnant women in critical condition were saved. And the city recorded a 38 percent drop in the infant mortality rate.