HONG KONG: The obstetrics and gynecology department of a hospital in China’s central Hubei province has been ordered to halt operations, and the director of the hospital is being investigated for selling birth certificates, according to state media reports on Tuesday( Nov 7 ).
According to the Global Times, the case sparked a flurry of online remarks by Chinese bloggers who claimed that these birth certificates were probably used to record kidnapped children and stop them from being found.
Another internet users claimed that since infertility is prohibited in China, it might offer a way to register them as kids.
According to the Global Times, the chairman received more than 60 000 rmb( US$ 8, 200 ) for each document.
The director’s identity was not instantly clear to Reuters.
No contact information was listed on the patient’s official WeChat bill, and its official website was down for maintenance.
After being made aware of the situation, the Health Commission of Xiangyang, a prefecture-level city in northwest Hubei, dispatched an extra crew to Jianqiao Hospital on Monday. Based on the findings of a thorough investigation, additional changes may be made, it said.
In China, birth credentials are required for home registration, vaccinations, enrollment in health insurance, and the application for a social security card.
With only 9.56 million babies in 2022, China’s birth rates have dropped to their lowest level since records started in 1949.