5E Lin Sin Yi, Rose
“The cases of pregnant mainlanders giving births in Hong Kong have reached unprecedentedly high found by recent survey.” This is no astounding news. Hong Kong is a prosperous city which has long been renowned for its comprehensive medical services. Citizens here can always enjoy the world-class and advanced services provided by the hospitals. However, the mushrooming cases mentioned above have directly exerted tremendous pressure on our medical system. Not only do they bring down the quality of medical services but also deprive our citizens of their rights. Why does this rising tide sweep across Hong Kong?
This rising tide can be ascribed to an article stated in the Basic Law—the babies born in Hong Kong can be granted the right of abode. Seemingly, it just means these babies can own an ID card which has their name printed on it. But virtually, they can enjoy all the social welfare provided by our government just like the permanent residents of Hong Kong. This will indisputably exert a financial burden on our city. The parents of the babies are not permanent residents of Hong Kong. In other words, they are not taxpayers, but their children can enjoy all these beneits which are paid for by our taxpayers, those who fight for Hong Kong and strive to make Hong Kong a prosperous city. (Some netizens said that we have to spend one million dollars every 18 minutes to raise the children given birth by mainland parents). It is unreasonable and unbearable to see them exploiting our rights and wasting our money which are supposed to spend on education and building infrastructure. This financial burden will continue to be shouldered by the permanent residents if nothing is done by our government.
Not only do the pregnant mainlanders exert great pressure on our economy but thye also put pressure on our medical system. Due to the aging problem in our society, the present number of doctors and nurses can barely support our senior citizens and provide efficient services for them. However, the increasing number of pregnant mainlanders has even pushed them beyond limit. Their workload is far over their ability. For example, a nurse has to look after ten to twelve patients at one time. Some doctors and nurses may even choose to leave their occupation so as to end those intolerable pressures. Apart from these problems, the mainlanders also pose a threat to our citizens’ health and life. Many local pregnant women have kept complaining that the services provided by the hospital have worsened and they even have to sleep in the corridor because of the lack of hospital beds. The number of beds has become so limited. The hospitals in Hong Kong are supposed to provide services for Hong Kong citizens. It is astonishing to find that it has now become the paradise for mainlanders to give birth to their babies but not us. Our government should on no account satisfy the desire of them at the expense of our health.
The issue of pregnant mainlanders is also problematic as it is testing our law system. In order to solve this problem, our government has restricted the number of those women coming to Hong Kong. Unfortunately, not only has the policy not solved the problem, but also it has stirred up the law breakers providing illegal services to them. In order to earn money, many offenders offer many plans to help them to give birth in Hong Kong. They rent out illegal hotel and hostel accommodation to the mainlanders. These acts are virtually challenging our law system and will inevitably affect the stability of Hong Kong. Some of these so-called hostels are actually rented apartments. Some rent out flats in a residental building to the mainlanders and this will affect the security of Hong Kong. Just imagine, would you like to see that there are always some strangers living next door? Definitely not!
I think it is the responsibility of our government to take the initiative to solve this problem. It is requisite for our government to urge the People’s Congress to reinterpret the Basic Law in order to rectify the article that permits the children of whom both parents are not Hong Kong residents to have the right of abode in Hong Kong. Only by doing so, by eliminating the basic desire of them, can we end the incessant entries of these mainlanders and hence relieve our economic burden, alleviate the stress on our medical system and prevent them from damaging our law system.
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