China to make all hospitals offer epidurals to incentivise childbirth

HONG KONG (Reuters) -China said that 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 - 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 in a statement 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.