Perinatal care in China.

China has a birth rate of 20/1000, maternal mortality of 48.8/100,000, perinatal mortality of 15-20/1000 in cities, and 30-35/1000 in rural areas, infant mortality of 34.68/1000 and a LWB rate of 6%. Among LWBI 50-60% are SGA. As a result the prematurity rate is also quite low, 3-4%, and the rate of VLBWI is only 0.3-0.4%. Therefore, attention should be paid first to bigger birth weight groups. Regionalized perinatal care is important in the cities, but the rural areas suffer more from low staffing levels and poor transportation. In view of the vast areas which are in need of techniques and the uneveness of the situation, sense of appropriate technology is very important. B-ultrasonic scanner versus gravidogram, FHR monitoring versus monitoring of fetal movement, and methods of keeping babies warm are discussed as examples.