Maternal and child health is the cornerstone of family well-being and an important indicator of social progress. Following the blueprint of the "14th Five-Year Plan," Beijing's maternal and child health sector remains committed to excellence, adhering to the principles of "maternal safety and child priority." By innovating service models, optimizing service quality, and improving efficiency, the health levels of women and children have significantly improved. In 2024, the maternal mortality rate in Beijing stood at 0.69 per 100,000, and the infant mortality rate at 1.35 per 1,000, reaching international advanced levels, representing an 84% and 23% decrease compared to 2020, respectively. The maternal mortality rate has achieved a historic low.

Prioritizing Life

Continuous Enhancement of Maternal and Infant Safety

Strengthening Networks

for Safety

Beijing has established 11 municipal and 34 district-level critical maternal care centers, along with 7 municipal and 27 district-level neonatal intensive care centers, and designated 17 municipal consultation hospitals specialize in handling pregnancy complications, including heart disease, neurological conditions, and infectious diseases. A telemedicine collaboration system for maternal and child emergencies has been developed. A city-level expert team provides case-specific rescue plans for critically ill pregnant women. Coordination between obstetrics and pediatrics has been reinforced, ensuring all 73 maternity hospitals, regional medical centers, and tertiary delivery institutions across districts have neonatal departments. Emergency transport systems now cover all districts with dedicated vehicles and equipment for critically ill neonates, improving regional rescue and treatment capabilities.

Building Mechanisms

for Comprehensive Support

For six consecutive years, Beijing has conducted the Regional Maternal and Infant Safety Enhancement Initiative, emphasizing early prevention and risk management. Five key control mechanisms—prevention, risk, quality, self-regulation, and collaboration—have been established, alongside 30 targeted measures, including early-stage grassroots services, high-quality resource allocation and technique practice. A regional maternal and infant safety assurance index table, along with a responsibility list, task list, and negative list—collectively referred to as the "One Table, Three Lists" were formulated. The regional maternal and infant safety assurance index were continuously monitored to increase the number of maternal mortality-free areas from 12 to 16.

Innovative Service Models

for Implementing Six Key Actions

Beijing has implemented five key systems: pregnancy risk screening and assessment, specialized management for high-risk pregnant women, emergency and critical care treatment, individual case reporting of maternal deaths, and interview-based notifications. Additionally, the city has introduced six innovative initiatives—Minute Action, Multidisciplinary Action, Standardization Action, Upgrade Action, Safeguard Action, and Whole-Process Action—to comprehensively enhance pregnancy risk prevention and maternal and infant safety assurance.

Enhancing Capabilities

for Equitable Development

Systematic Management: A three-tiered system for case discussions, emergency drills, and expert support has been established. Three management chains—administrative, technical, and treatment—have been strengthened.

Balanced Service Distribution: A dual-performance evaluation system has been implemented for critical maternal and neonatal care centers. Technical guidance and training are provided to ensure regional development balance.

Capacity Building:New facilities include 2 obstetric training centers, 7 maternal emergency and neonatal care centers, and a grassroots maternal health training base. Standardized training and assessments ensure uniform service quality.

Promoting Development

for High-Quality Services

Friendly Maternal and Childcare: Beijing has innovatively established a delivery room safety inspection system and promote a modern safe delivery model. Focusing on four key dimensions—facility and equipment, staffing, humanistic care, and quality control indicators—81 modern delivery rooms have been built.

Maternal and Childcare Health Services: Building on the full coverage of fertility consultation clinics in maternity institutions, 16 high-quality fertility clinics have been established, along with a two-tier referral network for premarital and pre-pregnancy healthcare at the municipal and district levels. Four key initiatives—nutritional literacy improvement during pregnancy, service enhancement, workforce development, and quality control assessment—have been implemented, while an integrated postpartum care model for gestational diabetes management is being explored. The "Reassurance Action" initiative provides pregnant and postpartum women with four free psychological screenings during early, mid, and late pregnancy, as well as postpartum, achieving a screening rate of over 98%. Focusing on major causes of child mortality, a comprehensive preterm infant intervention program has been launched, with 100 neonatal resuscitation teams established. Additionally, an integrated congenital heart disease service has been pioneered, reducing mortality from congenital heart disease in children under five by more than 40% compared to 2023.

Smart Maternal and Childcare: Establish a comprehensive early warning network, integrating assisted reproductive risk stratification with obstetric early warning services. Develop an information-sharing mechanism between non-obstetric departments and obstetric care for high-risk pregnant women, ensuring a fully traceable service chain for screening, referral, intervention, and follow-up. Beijing has standardized prenatal education curricula and promoted online prenatal classes. The core maternal and child health knowledge, including the "Five Knows and Five Abilities" series, were actively disseminated to continuously enhance health literacy.

Enhancing Resource Accessibility  

Strengthening the Maternal and Child Health Service Network  

Leveraging the expertise of 21 municipal maternal and child health specialty institutions, Beijing supports the development of 26 joint platforms across eight key areas, including child growth and development, nutrition, hearing, rehabilitation, adolescent health, common disease prevention for women, maternal nutrition, and traditional Chinese medicine gynecology. By integrating the pediatric medical consortium and child health referral network, 13 high-quality medical institutions have been designated to focus on pediatric vision, psychology, oral health, hearing, and common disease prevention. Additionally, 80 pediatric expert clinics have been established across 16 district-level maternal and child health hospitals. Comprehensive free screenings for five major disabling conditions (hearing, vision, intellectual, physical, and autism spectrum disorders) are provided for children aged 0-6. A service mechanism is in place, involving primary healthcare institutions for initial screening, district MCH hospitals for re-screening, and top-tier medical institutions for diagnosis. The number of designated diagnostic and evaluation institutions has increased from 13 to 16, forming direct referral partnerships with all 16 districts and the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area. These services benefit over one million children annually, with an initial screening rate exceeding 99% and a 2.3-fold increase in diagnostic rates over the past three years, ensuring early screening and early diagnosis. 

Building a High-Quality Brand  

Continuous Improvement of Maternal and Child Health Services  

A favorable environment for maternal and infant care has been fostered through the expansion of mother-and-baby-friendly hospitals, with a total of 81 established. High-quality service initiatives in MCH hospitals have been further implemented, with five institutions—Beijing MCH Hospital and the MCH hospitals in Tongzhou, Xicheng, Chaoyang, and Shunyi districts—achieving four-star standards to meet the diverse and high-quality health needs of women and children. 35 Maternal and Child Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Heritage Studios have been established in 17 maternal and child health hospitals, actively promoting mentorship and demonstration programs. Standardized TCM maternal and child health clinics and experience zones have been fully implemented across all 16 districts, providing integrated TCM and Western medicine healthcare services. An upgrade initiative for maternal and child health outpatient clinics in primary healthcare institutions has been carried out, increasing the coverage of AA-level and above standardized clinics, with the city's AA-level clinic coverage rate surpassing 70%. The in-depth development of early childhood programs has been advanced by expanding child-friendly community initiatives in AA-level primary healthcare institutions, with 68 new locations added, bringing the total to 164 and covering 80% of the city, thereby extending early childhood development services to communities.

Safeguarding the Beginning of Life  

Strengthening Birth Defect Prevention and Control  

Beijing has implemented a birth defect prevention and control capacity enhancement program, with Fengtai and Tongzhou District Maternal and Child Health Hospitals successfully established as the second batch of national-level specialty centers for preconception care. Six prenatal diagnosis centers in Beijing have been identified, including Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking University First Hospital, Peking University People's Hospital, Peking University Third Hospital, and the First Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital. Peking University Third Hospital, in collaboration with Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Peking University People's Hospital, in partnership with Fuwai Hospital, and Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, working with the Seventh Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital, have been officially designated by the national government as the first batch of specialized institutions for integrated maternal-fetal management of congenital heart disease. Additionally, free screenings for 12 types of neonatal genetic and metabolic diseases, congenital heart disease, hip dysplasia, and combined hearing and deafness gene testing have been conducted, benefiting over 500,000 children during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. The screening rate has exceeded 99%, ensuring the effective implementation of early diagnosis and treatment.

Focusing on Health Priorities  

Promoting Comprehensive Physical and Mental Well-being in Children  

The Children's Health Action Enhancement Plan has been implemented, and the Children's Health Promotion Year has been launched, focusing on key health concerns for children and promoting the high-quality development of children's health. Integration of medical and educational efforts has been promoted, with pilot projects for adolescent mental health launched in 17 schools across 5 districts. Psychological health and peer support service packages have been promoted, and a "home-school-community-medical" integrated service model has been created. Youth health clinics have been standardized in terms of environmental setup, equipment requirements, staffing, and service processes, with 8 demonstration clinics built. These clinics focus on adolescent growth and development, vision care, mental health, and reproductive health needs, creating a health service network with the participation of superior disciplines. Integration of medicine and sports has been piloted through the establishment of children's sports clinics, and children's exercise prescriptions have been formulated. Additionally, the district-level maternal and child health hospitals have achieved full coverage of children's rehabilitation clinics.

Caring for Women’s Health  

Advancing Reproductive Health Initiatives  

Innovative "Three Care" services (pre-abortion, post-abortion, and post-delivery care) have been launched to protect women's reproductive health. Comprehensive prevention and treatment of cervical and breast cancer in women have been strengthened, with the target population expanded from registered residents to the entire resident population. Over 280,000 individuals have been screened for these cancers, with early diagnosis rates maintained at over 98% and 80%, respectively, and treatment rates approaching 100%. The "Jingtong" app has been utilized to provide a one-stop service for cervical and breast cancer, offering online appointment scheduling, case registration, result notifications, follow-ups, and health education. Based on the HPV vaccination program for girls in six districts, the HPV vaccination will be extended to all first-year middle school girls in 2025, with free voluntary vaccination included in the public welfare projects. A screening strategy for endometrial cancer, one of the major reproductive cancers in women, has been pioneered. The "Comfort Action" for menopause has been implemented to focus on menopause syndrome, promoting appropriate techniques to improve four aspects of health: pain, sleep, bone health, and emotional well-being.

Promoting Health Awareness  

Strengthening Public Maternal and Child Health Education  

Ten specialized children's health institutions have been selected, along with 20 "Double Ten" maternal and child health experts and 100 "golden lecturers" for maternal and child health science popularization, widely disseminating maternal and child health knowledge. Over 300 grassroots healthcare institutions have been established to create parent schools, offering health education and scientific parenting guidance services to parents. The Maternal and Child Health Science Popularization Competition has been held for seven consecutive years, producing over 200 outstanding works, including micro-videos, short videos, popular science classrooms, and short plays. These works have contributed to the creation of a "1+17" city-wide publicity collaboration model. Core information on hearing health for children aged 0-6, postpartum care for gestational diabetes, prevention of pelvic floor dysfunction during pregnancy, and the promotion of appropriate techniques for menopause have been compiled into manuals. These efforts have fostered a positive atmosphere for society’s attention to maternal and child health.

In 2025, Beijing's maternal and child health initiatives will adhere to principles of Party leadership, strategic planning, integrated development, fertility-friendly policies, people-centered services, robust service support, and a strong safety foundation. The city will comprehensively promote high-quality maternal and child health development with a focus on the following key areas:  

1. Building a Fertility-Friendly Society. Beijing will prioritize the health needs of women and children by strengthening reproductive support and launching the "Reproductive Health Promotion Year." Efforts will focus on key life stages, including adolescence, pre-marriage and pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, and postpartum periods, to provide comprehensive reproductive health services. The city will establish fertility-friendly and child-friendly hospitals, ensuring high-quality, efficient, safe, and compassionate healthcare services for women and children. Additionally, 61 municipal and district-level centers for critical maternal and neonatal care will undergo standardized construction to establish high-quality maternal and child health service hubs at both municipal and regional levels. Comprehensive fertility-related services will be expanded with a strong focus on postpartum care, including maternal nutrition, breastfeeding consultation and guidance, prevention and management of postpartum complications, health check-ups, and postpartum rehabilitation services.  

2. Implementing the "Pediatrics and Mental Health Service Year" Initiative.Promote full coverage of pediatric outpatient services in maternal and child health hospitals, expand the coverage of inpatient services, and enhance the diagnosis and treatment capacity for common childhood illnesses. "Parent Schools" in all maternal and child health hospitals will be established, conducting at least one educational session per month on topics such as child nutrition and feeding, eye care, and behavioral development. Advance the construction of pediatric mental health clinics and autism rehabilitation services in maternal and child health hospitals, offering psychological health lectures at least twice a year for key populations, including children, adolescents, and pregnant women. Implement the Autism Care and Support Initiative, strengthening regular follow-up management. Promote the national adolescent mental health pilot program in middle schools across all districts and evaluate its effectiveness. Integrate the prevention and management of prenatal and postpartum depression and anxiety into the core curriculum of maternity schools, providing guidance to expectant mothers and their families on essential mental health practices. Expand one-stop perinatal psychological screening and counseling services in maternity institutions, implementing tailored psychological interventions for key perinatal mental health concerns.

3. Promoting Children's Health. Promote the establishment of nutrition and health canteens in childcare institutions to strengthen dietary management for children. Expand pilot programs for pediatric sports outpatient clinics, promote the use of pediatric exercise prescriptions, and enhance exercise assessment and scientific guidance for children. Encourage the implementation of the “Infant and Young Child Nutrition and Feeding Assessment Service Guidelines” to improve feeding behavior and nutritional status evaluations, reducing the incidence of overweight and obesity. Increase the availability of pediatric eye care services by advancing eye health and vision screening for children aged 0–6, conducting refractive screening, and monitoring hyperopia reserve levels. Focus on major health issues among preschool and school-age children, such as myopia, obesity, scoliosis, psychological disorders, and dental caries. Implement the "Five Key Children's Health Initiative" to promote early detection, early intervention, and comprehensive management of these critical health concerns.

4. Enhancing Women's Health. Focusing on adolescent growth and development, vision, dental, mental, and reproductive health, Beijing will establish a referral network connecting 17 maternal and child health institutions with top-quality resources. The city will launch the "Accelerated Elimination of Cervical Cancer in Beijing" campaign, strengthen health education on HPV vaccination for women of appropriate age, standardize the diagnosis and treatment procedures for cervical cancer, and explore the establishment of a three-tier comprehensive prevention and treatment model that integrates vaccination, screening, and diagnosis. Efforts will be made to develop standards and reselect diagnostic institutions for dual cancer screening to optimize the service network. Strictly control the quality of dual cancer screening institutions to enhance the overall quality of screening, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. Focus on endometrial cancer, one of the three major malignant tumors of the female reproductive tract, and carry out pilot screening and diagnosis programs for women of appropriate age. Implement the "Warm Care" service for the prevention and treatment of pelvic floor dysfunction in menopausal women, providing scientific functional assessments and treatment guidance.

5. Strengthening the Maternal and Child Health Service Foundation. Implement the medical and health infrastructure enhancement project, directing policies, funding, and resources toward grassroots healthcare institutions. Deepen the maternal and child healthcare improvement project, ensuring that standardized outpatient clinics cover 100% of districts, with AA-level and above standardized outpatient clinics covering no less than 50%. Continuously expand the construction of child-friendly health communities, promote the adoption of early childhood development service packages, and further enrich the content of early childhood development services to ensure comprehensive support for children's growth and well-being.

6. Enhancing Integrated Maternal and Child Health Services. Promote the effective implementation of 131 expert studios in maternal and child health hospitals across seven key areas, including children's vision, growth and development, mental health, oral health, common disease prevention, traditional Chinese medicine, and menopause. Launch pilot projects for regional maternal and child specialty alliances to facilitate the integration of high-quality medical institutions, maternal and child health institutions, and primary healthcare facilities. Establish new service models to extend five specialized maternal and child health disciplines—children’s mental health, pediatric dentistry, pediatric traditional Chinese medicine, women’s mental health, and health education—to grassroots healthcare facilities. This initiative aims to bring high-quality services closer to communities and further enhance the health and well-being of women and children.