Ministry tries to clamp down on gender selection
Medical workers who help women to determine the sex of their child during the early stages of pregnancy will be fined VND10-20 million (US$470-950), 30 percent higher than before.
It is one of several new regulations included in a draft decree on administrative punishment for violations in the health sector. The Ministry of Health is gathering public opinion on the draft before a final version is submitted to the Prime Minister.
Besides state inspectors, population inspectors will also have the authority to issue fines for violations.
“The Ministry of Health is taking drastic measures in order to control the sex ratio at birth, which is considered a serious problem for the population sector,” said Nguyen Van Tan, deputy director of the General Office for Population and Family Planning.
The country’s present sex ratio at birth is 111.9 boys/100 girls. It is forecast that in 30 years’ time, about 4 million Vietnamese men will not be able to find their wives, according to statistics from the office.
The draft decree also proposed a fine of VND5-10 million (US$ 230-470) for people that provide gender selection services.