Expectant mothers from the Chinese mainland will no longer be able to give birth in public hospitals in Hong Kong, the xinmin.cn reported yesterday.

The Hospital Authority of Hong Kong (HAHK) has announced that from April 8, the department of gynecology and obstetrics should not accept any new registrations from the mainland.

The appointment ban on mainland mothers is the first resolution made by medical professionals after the Food and Health Secretary York Chow Yat-ngok said in late March that medical facilities and staff in the HK health-service system was coming under increasing strain.(Click to read more)

Liang Deyang, a consultant at the Prince of Wales Hospital said the registration ban is good but of little significant effect this year. He said figures from HAHK show of the eight HK hospitals which receive mainland moms, six say their 2011 service calendar was already fully booked，and other two say of "little room".

Liang added that the priority of all HK hospitals should be to focus on the 2012 appointment plan because it will see a possible five to ten percent increase in births as 2012 is the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese lunar calendar. Historically it has been long regarded as a good year to have a new baby in Chinese tradition, explained Liang.

Liu Guolin, chairman of the HK Private Hospitals Association (HKPHA) said that because the appointment system for 2011 baby-delivery service was already fully booked to late November "there's no point to apply the appointment ban in private hospitals".