Canadian hospital sues mother of million-dollar baby, amid growing concern over Chinese Birth Tourism
"Chinese births soar as local births drop at epicentre of Chinese maternity tourism in Canada, new statistics show..."
In the Spring of 2012, Yan Xia was admitted to Richmond Hospital in British Columbia and had a baby.
But something went seriously wrong, and it would be months before Yan (a non-resident of Canada), and her child (a newly minted Canadian citizen), were discharged.
What they left behind was a massive hospital bill. With interest, this would stand at almost C$1.2 million (US$922,000).
Their current whereabouts are unknown, although China would be an excellent guess. According to Carrie Stefanson, the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority’s public affairs leader, the “overwhelming majority” of non-resident mothers who give birth in Richmond Hospital list China as their place of residence.
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Yan’s case is revealed in a lawsuit by VCH, filed on April 12 in pursuit of the unpaid bill.
VCH refused to provide details of Yan’s case, except to confirm that both mother and child had been successfully discharged (See update below).
But the phenomenon of “birth tourism”, in which pregnant foreigners travel to Canada to give birth in order for automatic citizenship to be conferred upon their children, is on the rise, and Richmond Hospital is at the epicentre of the phenomenon.
One in five of births at Richmond Hospital involves a non-resident mother, in what is now considered a daily occurrence.
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Birth tourism has come under fire from both Conservative and Liberal politicians, with the district’s Liberal MP Joe Peschisolido sponsoring a petition that calls for an end to the “abusive and exploitative practice”.
Stefanson said VCH took no stance on the issue. “We recognise that we have to provide care to those who are in need regardless of where they’re from,” she said. “So if women come to our hospital and need to deliver a child, we will certainly be there for them and we never deny urgent or emergent care based on anyone’s nationality or their ability to pay.”
Vancouver Coastal Health Authority vs Yan Xia by Ian Young on Scribd
Perfectly legal services for ‘precious mothers to be’
Unpaid bills notwithstanding, birth tourism in Canada is perfectly legal.
Dozens of “baby houses” now cater to the market by offering accommodation to pregnant foreign women who come to BC specifically to give birth to Canadian citizens, and they appear universally targeted at Chinese visitors.
The Baoma Inn, in a leafy suburb of Richmond, is one such operation. Towering over neighbouring homes, the inn was built across the road from a park in 2015 and has at least eight bedrooms and 10 bathrooms. It is conveniently located 4km from Richmond Hospital.
On a recent morning, a pregnant guest could be seen watching children from the nearby RM Grauer Elementary School as they ran laps in the park.
View photos
In the Spring of 2012, Yan Xia was admitted to Richmond Hospital in British Columbia and had a baby.
But something went seriously wrong, and it would be months before Yan (a non-resident of Canada), and her child (a newly minted Canadian citizen), were discharged.
What they left behind was a massive hospital bill. With interest, this would stand at almost C$1.2 million (US$922,000).
Their current whereabouts are unknown, although China would be an excellent guess. According to Carrie Stefanson, the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority’s public affairs leader, the “overwhelming majority” of non-resident mothers who give birth in Richmond Hospital list China as their place of residence.
View photos
Yan’s case is revealed in a lawsuit by VCH, filed on April 12 in pursuit of the unpaid bill.
VCH refused to provide details of Yan’s case, except to confirm that both mother and child had been successfully discharged (See update below).
But the phenomenon of “birth tourism”, in which pregnant foreigners travel to Canada to give birth in order for automatic citizenship to be conferred upon their children, is on the rise, and Richmond Hospital is at the epicentre of the phenomenon.
One in five of births at Richmond Hospital involves a non-resident mother, in what is now considered a daily occurrence.
View photos
Birth tourism has come under fire from both Conservative and Liberal politicians, with the district’s Liberal MP Joe Peschisolido sponsoring a petition that calls for an end to the “abusive and exploitative practice”.
Stefanson said VCH took no stance on the issue. “We recognise that we have to provide care to those who are in need regardless of where they’re from,” she said. “So if women come to our hospital and need to deliver a child, we will certainly be there for them and we never deny urgent or emergent care based on anyone’s nationality or their ability to pay.”
Vancouver Coastal Health Authority vs Yan Xia by Ian Young on Scribd
Perfectly legal services for ‘precious mothers to be’
Unpaid bills notwithstanding, birth tourism in Canada is perfectly legal.
Dozens of “baby houses” now cater to the market by offering accommodation to pregnant foreign women who come to BC specifically to give birth to Canadian citizens, and they appear universally targeted at Chinese visitors.
The Baoma Inn, in a leafy suburb of Richmond, is one such operation. Towering over neighbouring homes, the inn was built across the road from a park in 2015 and has at least eight bedrooms and 10 bathrooms. It is conveniently located 4km from Richmond Hospital.
On a recent morning, a pregnant guest could be seen watching children from the nearby RM Grauer Elementary School as they ran laps in the park.
View photos
The inn’s operators offer Canadian and Chinese passport services for its “precious mothers to be”, as well as post-partum help. The Inn’s Instagram page shows pregnant guests on day trips around the region, shopping on Robson Street, watching crabbers in North Vancouver and admiring fall foliage.
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