Beijing Women's Federation

Women's and children's health is the cornerstone of public health and a key indicator of social progress and civilization. Advancing maternal and child health is of great significance for promoting the Healthy China and Healthy Beijing initiatives from the very beginning of life.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Beijing adhered to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as its guiding principle, placed people's health at the center, and followed the Party's health and medical policies in the new era. With a lifecycle approach, the city strengthened service systems, promoted the equitable distribution of high-quality resources, enhanced safety assurance capacity, and optimized maternal and child health services—effectively improving the health of women and children.

I. Sustaining Leadership: Maternal and Child Health Reaches Internationally Advanced Levels

Over the past five years, Beijing has firmly safeguarded maternal and infant safety, strengthened health promotion, and continuously improved key maternal and child health indicators. Major indicators lead the nation and have reached internationally advanced levels.

The maternal mortality rate declined significantly to 1.64 per 100,000 in 2025, down 62.21% from 2020. Infant mortality fell to 1.30% in 2025, a decrease of 34.34% from 2020. Notable progress was made in birth defect prevention and control, with perinatal incidence of major birth defects such as neural tube defects (NTDs) and Down syndrome decreasing by 78% and 58%, respectively.

Common diseases among women and children have been effectively controlled. Early diagnosis rates for cervical and breast cancer reached 98.14% and 85.57%, respectively, with treatment rates approaching 100%. The prevalence of anemia among children under five has dropped to 1.63%, a 51.34% reduction from 2020.

II. Strengthening Systems: Building a High-quality, Lifecycle Service Network

Beijing has established a full-chain maternal and child health service network spanning premarital and preconception care, maternal care, child health care, and women’s health care. This system features horizontal complementarity and efficient vertical coordination.

Progress was made in developing high-level maternal and child health institutions, with seven reaching four-star standards. A total of 41 fertility-friendly hospitals and 52 child-friendly hospitals were established.

Through strengthened primary healthcare initiatives, standardized maternal and child health outpatient services now cover more than 300 primary-level institutions, with AA-level and above coverage rising from 29% to 78%.

The city established 15 national-level and 21 municipal-level specialties, along with 137 expert studios across eight fields, including child vision, growth and development, mental health, oral health, common disease prevention, traditional Chinese medicine therapy, menopause, and andrology.

Specialty collaboration platforms in Beijing expanded to 42 across eight categories, while five specialty areas—including child psychology—were extended to the grassroots level, promoting integration and connectivity among high-quality medical institutions, maternal and child health institutions, and primary-level health facilities.

The (TCM) “ascending, descending, floating, and sinking” initiative was implemented, achieving full coverage of standardized TCM clinics and experience areas in all 16 district-level maternal and child health hospitals, and establishing six demonstration units.

III. Ensuring Safety: An Efficient Closed-Loop System for Critical Care

Beijing established 11 municipal- and 34 district-level critical care centers for high-risk pregnant women, along with seven municipal- and 25 district-level neonatal critical care centers. Seventeen hospitals were designated for municipal-level consultations, forming a comprehensive, citywide system with full coverage and rapid response capacity.

Preventive efforts were strengthened through five prevention and control mechanisms and five maternal and infant safety systems, alongside innovative initiatives such as the “Minute Action” program.

Beijing has improved the full-chain, traceable services for screening, referral, intervention, and follow-up of high-risk pregnant women, while innovatively promoting a modern delivery room model to ensure safe childbirth.

Seventy-three maternity institutions established neonatal wards, and 100 neonatal resuscitation teams were formed. Risk assessment and tiered management for neonatal safety were introduced.

Beijing has carried out a comprehensive action plan for preterm birth prevention and control was implemented, strengthening coordination between obstetrics and pediatrics and ensuring full-chain services from prevention to follow-up.

IV. Comprehensive Prevention and Control: Leading Nationwide in Birth Defect Control

First, primary prevention was strengthened. Multiple departments jointly advanced one-stop public services integrating premarital medical examinations, pre-pregnancy health checks, marriage registration, and counseling for healthy childbearing. Seven high-quality service units for premarital and pre-pregnancy care were established, and the coverage of free services was expanded.

Second, secondary prevention was reinforced. Beijing improved integrated service management for prenatal screening and diagnosis, achieving full coverage from initial screening through follow-up diagnostic services. Both the prenatal screening rate and the prenatal diagnosis rate for severe birth defects have remained above 95%.

Third, tertiary prevention was strengthened. Beijing expanded the scope of neonatal disease screening, offering free screening for 15 conditions, including genetic metabolic disorders, congenital heart disease, hip dysplasia, hearing loss, and deafness-related genetic mutations. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, more than 600,000 newborns were screened, enabling early detection, diagnosis, and treatment.

Fourth, service models were innovated. Beijing took the lead in establishing an integrated full-chain service mechanism for congenital heart disease, congenital digestive system anomalies, and related conditions—covering premarital and pre-pregnancy screening and counseling for high-risk factors, prenatal screening and diagnosis, as well as neonatal treatment, intervention, and follow-up guidance.

V. Safeguarding Health: Enhancing the Quality and Efficiency of Early Childhood Development Services

First, the Healthy Children Action Enhancement Plan was implemented. Beijing launched the Year of Child Health Promotion initiative, focusing on key child health concerns and building a service system characterized by dense service networks, efficient access, and excellent quality. Screening for five key conditions in children aged 0-6 years—vision, hearing, intellectual development, physical disabilities, and autism—was further expanded. Sixteen diagnostic and evaluation institutions were designated, referral relationships between districts were established, and integrated services covering screening, diagnosis, intervention, and follow-up were provided. Each year, child health services reached more than one million visits, with screening rates exceeding 99%.

Second, the Early Childhood Development Deepening Project was implemented. Beijing established a Child Early Development Research Center, formulated local standards for child early development health services, built seven high-quality service bases, and created 209 child health-friendly communities, extending early development services into the community. All 17 maternal and child health hospitals in the city now provide pediatric services and child mental health outpatient clinics, achieving full coverage. Pilot projects for pediatric refractive screening were launched citywide, and maternal and child health hospitals achieved full coverage of refractive screening services.

Third, coordinated development of children's health was promoted. Emphasizing the integration of medical care and child education, Beijing improved the three-tier guidance and support mechanism linking municipal and district maternal and child health hospitals with primary health institutions to childcare centers, achieving full coverage of childcare health guidance services. Seventeen municipal and district maternal and child health hospitals, together with more than 300 primary health institutions, launched infant and toddler health parent schools. A total of 22 specialized parent schools were established, strengthening scientific parenting guidance.

VI. Upgrading Services: Safeguarding Women's Health and Safety with Precision

First, the Year of Reproductive Health Promotion was launched. Five major initiatives were promoted: adolescent reproductive health care, premarital and pre-pregnancy health for optimal childbearing, fertility preservation, maternal health for better birth outcomes, and prevention and treatment of key women's diseases. Six regional reproductive health centers, 10 specialized reproductive health units, and more than 600 reproductive health specialty clinics across eight categories were established. Twenty-five national-level women's health specialty clinics were established. Nine medical institutions were designated by the state as centers for multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment of maternal health, as well as for the development of obstetric subspecialties. Guidance was provided to formulate China's first local standard for quality management of human-assisted reproductive technology, significantly improving the quality of reproductive health services.

Second, high-quality maternal healthcare services were strengthened. The Year of Pregnancy Nutrition Promotion was launched. Maternity institutions across the city strengthened the standardized development of prenatal nutrition clinics, enhanced maternal health and weight management services, and reduced the incidence of macrosomia by 31.40% compared with 2020. The “Peace of Mind During Pregnancy” initiative was thoroughly implemented. Free screening rates exceeded 99%, and one-stop services for perinatal psychological screening and counseling were promoted. Postpartum health care was prioritized. More than 300 primary health institutions standardized the provision of community management for high-risk pregnancies after hospital discharge, as well as postpartum rehabilitation and health education services. A total of 108 screening institutions and 66 treatment institutions were designated to provide services for the prevention and management of pelvic floor dysfunction.

Third, women's health services were optimized. The Early Pregnancy Care initiative was implemented, ensuring that all 186 medical institutions with obstetrics and gynecology departments established early pregnancy clinics. Comprehensive prevention and treatment of cervical and breast cancer among women was strengthened, with coverage expanded to the permanent resident population. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, more than 800,000 women received free screening.

The “Accelerating Cervical Cancer Elimination—Beijing Action” initiative was launched. Free and voluntary HPV vaccination for newly enrolled junior secondary school girls was included in the 2025 people's livelihood priorities, and efforts were made to establish a three-tier integrated prevention and control model linking vaccination, screening, and treatment. Screening for endometrial cancer among women of appropriate age was carried out ahead of schedule, with continuous optimization of screening strategies.

Fourth, health services were strengthened for individuals in adolescence and menopause. Integration of medical and educational resources was strengthened. Twenty-four adolescent health specialty clinics were established, and pilot programs on adolescent mental health were carried out in 39 middle schools across five districts, forming a four-in-one service model combining family, school, community, and medical institutions. Sixteen menopause expert studios were established to standardize health services for women in menopause and to promote multidisciplinary joint diagnosis and treatment.

VII. Empowering with Smart Technologies: Enhancing Health Awareness among Women and Children

Leveraging the “Jingtong” mini-program, convenient online registration services were provided for pregnant women, with the proportion of online registrations reaching 88%. Online application services for birth medical certificates were continuously optimized. More than 95% of newborns' parents completed applications online, and online application channels were extended to foreign nationals as well as residents from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan of China.

Integrated online services were provided for cervical and breast cancer prevention, including appointment booking, case registration, result notification, online follow-up, and health education—all accessible through mobile platforms. Consecutive maternal and child health science popularization competitions were held, establishing a “1+17” city-district coordinated publicity framework. Over 200 core messages on maternal and child health were released, covering the entire lifecycle. One hundred maternal and child health science popularization “gold medal lecturers” were identified to carry out extensive public education campaigns, thereby improving health literacy among the population.

The year 2026 marks the beginning of the 15th Five-Year Plan. At this new historical starting point, Beijing's maternal and child health work will be guided by the new Plan, focusing on improving fertility support policies and building a fertility-friendly society, while continuously strengthening the maternal and child health service system.

With the Year of Birth Population Quality Promotion launched, Beijing will focus on advancing the Early Pregnancy Care initiative, implementing programs to strengthen the capacity for fertility and birth defect prevention, and promoting five health actions for children and adolescents—covering weight, vision health, mental health, skeletal health, and oral health.

At the same time, efforts will be made to strengthen women’s health across the entire lifecycle. Through higher-quality, more balanced, and more people-centered services, Beijing will continue to safeguard the health of women and children and contribute to the development of a Healthy Beijing and high-quality population growth.