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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Amy Hawkins Senior China correspondent

Closure of maternity wards fuels Chinese debate over population decline

Pregnant women working out during a fitness class at an obstetrics and gynecology hospital in Shijiazhuang.
Pregnant women working out during a fitness class at an obstetrics and gynecology hospital in Shijiazhuang in 2021. Photograph: VCG/Visual China Group/Getty Images

A number of hospital obstetrics units in China have closed, prompting discussion about the effects of China’s dramatically falling birthrate.

Several hospitals in Zhejiang province have reportedly closed or downsized their obstetrics units, along with hospitals in Jiangsu and Guangdong.

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