Health authorities in Beijing yesterday took steps to close the gap between overloaded top hospitals and largely empty second-tier hospitals to accommodate the surging number of women hoping to give birth in the auspicious Year of Pig.

Seventeen top hospitals that specialize in caring for women and children are overstaffed, according to the latest statistics from the city's Health Bureau.

Some of those hospitals had stopped registering new expectant mothers earlier this week, but then yesterday the bureau ordered them to start accepting more mothers and to coordinate their medical resources to meet demand.

Beijing Obstetric and Gynecological Hospital added 40 new beds by turning some doctor's offices and recreation rooms into obstetric wards, and shortened the stay for delivering mothers.

Despite the crowds at the top hospitals, Xiao Xun, head of the Beijing Health Bureau's Women's and Children's Affairs Division, said the city had sufficient obstetrics resources, based on the current birth rate.

Statistics from the city's health bureau show that about 821 of the city's 3,900 beds are still empty, with many of them scattered among the city's second-rate hospitals.

Xiao appealed to the city's expectant mothers to steer clear of the top hospitals to avoid a shortage of supplies and staff.

"The real difficulty is that many pregnant women insist on going to the few top hospitals to have their physical check-ups and to deliver, while the other hospitals have beds available," Xiao said.

In addition, frequent updates on the state of the city's obstetric resources and bed vacancies are to be posted on the bureau's website to keep people well informed and prevent panic.

About 140,000 "pig" babies are expected to be born this year, a sharp rise compared with the 12,600 babies born last year.

The Chinese lunar calendar designates one of 12 zodiac signs to each year. The years also rotate through five elements: gold, wood, water, fire and earth.

In 2007, the Year of the Pig coincides with the element gold. It is said that children who are born in this year will be blessed with a carefree life.

The widespread belief has inspired a nationwide baby boom and put hospitals and doctors on alert in major cities.

Experts have warned that irrational family planning would result in a shortage of resources.

"Given China's large population, selective birth during so-called lucky years may actually exacerbate the shortage of social resources, including education and employment," said Ren Qiang, a population expert at Peking University's Population Research Institute.

(China Daily March 2, 2007)