The number of healthcare institutions specializing in obstetrics and gynecology (OB-GYN) and pediatrics last year fell to fewer than 1,000 and 1,700 respectively for the first time, while the birth rate continues to drop, a Ministry of Health and Welfare report showed.
The birth rate has been steadily declining over the past few years from 280,000 in 2016 to 178,000 last year, the ministry said in its report on the state of the nation’s medical institutions.
In the first eight months of this year, about 10,000 fewer children were born than in the same period last year, the ministry said, adding that even if 62,000 more children are born this year, as there were from September to December last year, the yearly total would still fall below 170,000.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
The change has also led to a shift in the medical field, as OB-GYN and pediatrics were the only two disciplines to lose clinics over the past decade, it said.
As of the end of last year, there were about 23,000 healthcare institutions in Taiwan, of which 480 were hospitals and more than 22,000 were clinics, the report said.
Of them, 111 OB-GYN clinics and 73 pediatric clinics have closed over the past decade, a decline of 10.1 percent and 4.1 percent respectively, it said.
The biggest drop in OB-GYN providers came last year, falling from 1,004 in 2018 to 988, while there were about 1,700 pediatric clinics last year, it showed.
However, there was a 90 percent increase in postnatal care centers over the past decade, rising to 276 last year, as families sought more intensive care for the children they already have, the ministry added.
The birth rate tends to be higher in the second half of the year, Taiwan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology secretary-general Huang Min-chao (黃閔照) said, estimating that there would be about 170,000 births this year.
The declining number of dedicated OB-GYN clinics could be attributed to the advanced age of the average OB-GYN, the transformation of many clinics to family medicine and the growing trend of opening polyclinics, he said.
Moreover, the urban-rural rift in obstetric care would continue to widen as practitioners opening new clinics continue to choose cities, as they provide a higher rate of return, Huang added.
Pediatrics is a difficult field, as children take longer to recover and contribute less to national healthcare than adults, not to mention vaccines are provided at public expense, said Jan Chen-jieun (詹前俊), a pediatrician and board member of the Republic of China Primary Care Association.
This might explain the decline in the number of pediatric clinics, Jan said, urging the government to pay attention to the issue, as some experienced doctors have been poached by China.
To address the falling birth rate, the ministry in October last year expanded screening of newborns for congenital metabolic disorders and raised the childcare subsidy allowance.
It also continued its childcare nationalization policy, building 103 community preschools and 145 “semi-private” daycare centers by the end of August to serve an additional 8,227 children, the ministry said.
It has also worked with 22,000 preschool teachers and 781 daycare centers to provide “semi-public” services, increases of 91.13 percent and 95.71 percent respectively, in addition to putting forth a plan to improve child healthcare and emergency pediatrics, it added.
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