27 December, 2015
China's fertility industry could benefit now that the Chinese government has relaxed its one-child policy.
China eased the country's one-child per couple policy at the end of October. All married couples are permitted to have two children.
The world's fertility clinics should see an increase in business.
Couples face problems when trying to conceive through clinics in China. Some couples prefer to select the gender of their child. The government does not permit gender selection, or advanced fertility methods.
Middle-class Chinese couples travel to Australia, Thailand or the United States for fertility treatments. These foreign markets could benefit from an increased demand for fertility services.
A fertility clinic in Thailand told VOA that the number of Chinese patients has nearly doubled in the past three years.
The same clinic changed its business procedures to attract Chinese clients. The clinic hired a Mandarin-speaking staff and printed its documents in Mandarin.
Sue Channon works for a fertility clinic in Sydney. She says, "there has certainly been an increase in inquiries from Chinese consumers. We have a very strong reputation in Australia for delivering very high quality and safe fertility services. Many of our doctors and staff in Australia speak Mandarin."
China's one-child policy was lifted this year after being implemented 35 years ago. The country reached 1 billion people in 1982.
Today, China has nearly 1.3 billion people.
I'm Jonathan Evans.
Shannon Van Sant reported this story for VOA News from Hong Kong. Jim Dresbach adapted her story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor.
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Words in This Story
clinic – n. a place where people get medical help