Posted on 10/05/2004 3:35:33 PM PDT by Lorianne
South Korea's national health insurance will cover medical bills for natural childbirth starting next year, the Korea Times reported Saturday.
The Times said the move is part of efforts to encourage more childbirths as the nation's birth rate dwindled far below the world's average.
Health and Welfare Minister Kim Geun-tae has said the government will take measures to boost the number of births in order to address the prospect of an aged society.
The National Statistical Office said the fertility rate of Korean women stood at 1.19 last year, the lowest among OECD member countries.
Well, I've got two healthy grandsons and a granddaughter from Korea. Although the screening procedures are pretty strict, it takes less than a year to adopt a healthy Korean boy, a little longer for a girl.
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