Declining birth rate, Kiang Wu calls for government support

Kiang Wu Hospital has issued a warning about the “serious situation” of declining birth rates, calling on the government to implement measures to support families who want children but face difficulties.

“The situation is very serious,” said Chan Tai Ip, the hospital’s deputy director, noting the number of newborns in the first two quarters of this year was around 1,700, similar to 2022’s total of over 3,000 – but down sharply from 7,000 in 2016.

Since launching its assisted reproduction services in 2018, Kiang Wu has provided treatment to more than 300 couples, performing around 190 cycles per year with a 48% success rate, which Chan said is in line with international standards.

However, he noted the average age of women seeking this service is relatively advanced, up to 43 years old.

“Assisted reproduction is a relatively expensive service, costing about MOP70,000 to MOP90,000 per cycle,” Chan said, adding that families with financial difficulties should be supported in their efforts to have children.

The hospital has also started an egg-freezing service, with seven women aged 40 and over successfully extracting eggs at a 98% rate.

Chan said Kiang Wu has kept pace with evolving assisted reproduction technologies, from first-generation in vitro fertilization (IVF) to the current third-generation, which allows for genetic testing to detect potential issues.

Nonetheless, he said supporting parenthood remains an “arduous and long-term task” requiring persistent investment and public awareness.

The doctor urged the government to introduce policies, including financial incentives, to aid residents struggling with infertility and procreation.

Chan said creating a socially supportive environment for treatment and adherence to medically assisted reproduction was paramount.

In a recent interview with the Times, Dr Rui Furtado said some of the current rules and policies are out of touch with reality and need adjustment.

Giving the example of in vitro fertilization (IVF), Furtado said Macau’s laws require that the unit carrying out IVF must have a unit for neonatal care, a fact he considers illogical, as the two services are almost completely unrelated.

The surgeon said this type of rule aims to restrict the procedure to just one or two big hospitals, a service that otherwise, and in most countries around the world, can and is performed in a small clinic.

Furtado has called on authorities to amend these rules in favor of policies that help couples in need of IVF to access such services and ultimately benefit the local birthrate.

The surgeon called for the establishment of a supervisory body to monitor the activity and ensure it is conducted according to the rules instead of restricting it. Victoria Chan