This BBC article tells the story of two families in China with children who have severe medical issues and the difficult decisions they face. These families, like many others in China, need intensive medical attention for their children but cannot afford it. Many parents, like Liu Jiaomei and her husband, have to consider handing their children over to State custody in order to ensure that their children receive the proper medical care, which the parents themselves are unable to provide.
Families in China have been utilizing “safe baby hatches” to anonymously relinquish the care of their children to state-run orphanages that parents believe can better care for their children’s medical needs. One such baby hatch, in Guangzhou, gained international attention at its March 2014 closing. In the six weeks it had been open, says the article, an average of five children a day were dropped off there, for a total of 262 children, all of whom had severe medical conditions. In fact, the majority of children in Chinese orphanages have serious medical issues or suffer from disabilities and require special care that poor parents and families are not able to provide.
Though China has made great improvements in some areas of maternal and infant health in the last few years, these issues still persist. However, there are certain initiatives on the horizon, which, the article suggests, could prompt changes in the system. Advocates and organizations are working to improve infant health by providing mothers with prenatal care and offering more support to families with young children and to lobby for national health insurance for children up to 18 years old. As it is, many cities in China are coming up with their own insurance plans, according to the article. However, millions of parents in China are still struggling to hold onto their children while also keeping them healthy.