While 2024 is to be the Year of the Dragon, with more children expected to be born than in previous years, a physician yesterday said that recent clinical observation leaves him doubting that would be the case.
Chen Szu-ming (陳思銘), an attending physician at Taiwan Adventist Hospital’s Department of Gynecology, spoke as New Year babies were born across the
nation yesterday.
Photo courtesy of the Taoyuan City Government
Chen said that when he sees patients of childbearing age in the outpatient clinic, he often encourages them to have a baby sooner, as many young people lack confidence in having and taking care of children.
There were only about 60,000 babies born in the first half of last year, and the number is expected to be fewer in the second half of the year, he said, adding that he is rather pessimistic and expects the total number to be fewer than 130,000 newborns.
Taiwanese traditionally like to have children in the Year of the Dragon, so the numbers of newborns are usually expected to significantly increase, Chen said.
However, from the number of women getting prenatal checkups in the past few months, it “does not seem to have increased” and might be even fewer, he said.
The government’s expanded fertility treatment subsidy program for in-vitro fertilization (IVF) is a good policy, helping improve the nation’s low birthrate, he said.
As many pregnant women in the outpatient clinic are of advanced maternal age, they are associated with increased risks of maternal complications and adverse pregnancy outcomes, so he encourages young people to have a baby sooner.
Lin Jing-wang (林敬旺), a doctor of obstetrics and gynecology and deputy superintendent at Da Chien General Hospital in Miaoli County, said that with the nation’s low birthrate and aging population, most babies delivered yesterday at his hospital were not the mothers’ firstborn, which he is relieved to see.
As this year is to be the Year of the Dragon and the government has introduced several childbirth and childcare welfare policies, he expressed the hopes that more babies will be born this year.
Additional reporting by Chang Hsun-teng
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