Abstract:
The health status of illegal entrants and overstay visitors is generally unknown in most countries. Among this group pregnant women are particularly vulnerable. They are less likely to seek antenatal care until birth is imminent for fear of repatriation, thus jeopardizing their health and that of their unborn child. In Hong Kong, the number of live births amongst this group of women has increased from 7.27% of all deliveries in 1991 to 15.99% in 2001 (Census and Statistics Department, 2002). It has also been reported that they are more than three times as likely as local women to give birth before arrival at hospital (Moir, 1998). This paper reports the experiences of six overstay mothers with babies admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and compares that with the local mothers in Hong Kong.
