The proportion of new-born boys was 106 against 100 girls on average and amounted to 135: 100 girls in some particular areas.

This has resulted from insufficient guidance on the Population Ordinance that prohibits choosing the gender of a foetus.

The surveys reported that doctors and health workers at some hospitals had never received any instructions from hospital leaders to conduct ultrasound tests to discover foetus sex at the request of pregnant women.

The issue was somewhat alleviated after the Health Ministry issued an official document in May this year that warns hospitals nationwide to strictly prohibit the choosing of foetus sex in compliance with the Population Ordinance.