China Expands Epidural Access to Boost Birth Rate

China to Expand Epidural Access Nationwide by 2025

Every tertiary-level hospital in China will be required by the end of 2025 to offer epidural anesthesia for women in labor, part of a broader push to make the country more hospitable for women, according to state-run news outlets, which announced the new requirement. Tertiary hospitals with more than 500 beds are to hit the target within the year, whereas secondary hospitals with more than 100 beds are expected to do so by 2027. The National Health Commission, which outlined the proposal, said it would work toward creating a "friendly childbearing environment" for women in the country.

Measures to counter the population decrease and problems for would-be parents
The plan is being introduced as China grapples with a falling birth rate, and the population drops for a third year in 2024. Officials are looking for solutions to counter this problem, which experts say could get worse in the years to come. At this stage, approximately 30% of pregnant women in China are anesthetized during delivery, which is much less than in developed countries. In France, for example, about 82% of women get an epidural; in the US, Canada, more than 67%.

Insurance and Leave Policy Support
Some provinces are also beginning to cover childbirth anesthesia in their medical insurance system so as to encourage women to bear offspring. Economic pressures, high costs of raising children, and job uncertainty have been leading factors dissuading young Chinese from marrying and having children. Meanwhile, authorities in the southwestern province of Sichuan have suggested that marriage leave should be extended to as many as 25 days and maternity leave to 150 days in order to help create a fertility-friendly society.