Govt plans incentives to boost country’s birth rate

BANGKOK, Jan 12 (TNA) -- Thailand’s birth rate has been declining, prompting the government to come up with measure to boost birth rate by offering many incentives to prospective parents. Health Department Director General Dr Wachira Phengchan said in 2017, the country’s birth rate dropped to lower than 700,000 persons per year from 70,4058 persons in 2016. Thailand’s birth rate used to reach 1,300,000 persons in 2013, the golden year of population increase. Due to a drop in the birth rate, the National Policy and Strategy on Reproductive Health is trying to maintain the annual birth rate at over 700,000 persons per year on average by supporting married couple to have children. He said 11 per cent of married couples have problems of infertility due to late marriage and work-related stress. The proper reproductive ages stay between 20-35 years old and the ideal ages for pregnancy are around 24-29 years old. In the long-term, the government will offer incentives to prospective parents through many agencies such as tax cut, increase of maternity leave period. The Royal Thai College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and state agencies are considering measures to help married couples with infertility problems access to medical service. The measures are likely to take shape in the next five years. In Thailand, 99 per cent of baby delivery is performed in hospital. Newborns weight over 2,500 grammes and 80 per cent of babies aged 0-2 years have good development in their growth performance. However, for children aged 2-5 years, most of them are taken care of in child care centers under supervision of different agencies, so child care service needs to be improved to meet the same standard. (TNA)