China to make all hospitals offer epidurals to incentivise childbirth

China said by the end of this year all tertiary level hospitals must offer epidural anaesthesia during childbirth, a move it said would help promote a "friendly childbearing environment" for women.

Tertiary hospitals, or those with more than 500 beds, must provide epidural anaesthesia 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 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 experts warning the downturn will worsen in the coming years.

Around 30% of pregnant women in China receive anaesthesia to relieve pain during childbirth, compared with more than 70% in some developed countries, the official China Daily said.

The World Health Organisation recommends epidurals for healthy pregnant women requesting pain relief and it is widely used in many countries around the world, including France, where around 82% of pregnant women opt to have one, and in the US and Canada where more than 67% do.

The move will "improve the comfort level and security of medical services" and "further enhance people's sense of happiness and promote a friendly childbearing environment", the NHC said.

A growing number of provinces across China are also beginning to include childbirth anaesthesia costs as part of their medical insurance schemes to encourage more women to have children.

High childcare costs, job uncertainty and a slowing economy have discouraged many young Chinese from getting married and starting a family.

This month health authorities in China's southwestern Sichuan province proposed to extend marriage leave up to 25 days and maternity leave up to 150 days, to help create a "fertility-friendly society".