In Hunan, childbirth subsidy widens to single mothers

In a policy shift, a single mother in Zhuzhou, Hunan province, was paid a childbirth allowance recently, local media reported on Monday.

The Zhuzhou Healthcare Security Bureau released a notice on Wednesday further standardizing the application requirements for maternity insurance. It stipulated that marriage certificates and birth certificates were no longer required for the insurance, so that mothers can enjoy the latest preferential policies in a timely manner.

Before the notice, mothers in the city could only be paid a childbirth allowance after giving birth to infants registered in a marriage.

"Getting the allowance normally, as married mothers do, not only means an increase in economic subsidies for single mothers like me but also means that our reproductive rights and the legal rights and interests of every mother and child will be further protected," the single mother in Zhuzhou said.

Ding Lixuan, director of the employee medical insurance department of the city's medical insurance center, said that to apply for the allowance, "Female workers only need to submit the maternity allowance application form, medical birth certificate and either the diagnostic certificate or the original discharge record with the hospital seal."

"Those who terminate their pregnancy need only to provide a maternity allowance application form and termination of pregnancy case information with the hospital seal and a B-ultrasound examination report," Ding said.

Yuan Juwei, director of the center, said the new policy not only supports "the reproductive will" of a wider group — reflecting the original intent of the fertility security system — but also "shows better social civilization and creates goodwill and warmth in building a childbirth-friendly society".