Hong Kong public hospitals restrict births from the mainland

From this month onwards, mothers from mainland China may no longer register their delivery in Hong Kong.

The new regulation is a response to the increasing strain of medical costs, and lack of space and resources in the the maternity departments in public Hong Kong hospitals. The ban does not apply to private hospitals. 

China Daily reported that Chief Secretary for Administration Henry Tang Ying-yen said that 41,000 out of 88,000 babies (47 percent) delivered in Hong Kong in 2010 were born to mainland women. 

The news comes as 2012, the year of the Dragon, approaches -- a lucky year to have a baby according to Chinese tradition. According to Want China Times, Liang Deyang a consultant at the Prince of Wales Hospital, explained that the year of the Dragon is likely to witness a 10 percent increase in births.

Every year, thousands of expectant mainland mothers give birth in Hong Kong so their children can enjoy a number of benefits not available to children in the mainland. 

Apart from sidestepping China's one-child policy, children born in Hong Kong automatically become permanent residents, which includes a free education, welfare payments, and visa-free travel to more than 100 countries around the world.