Previous Story
Tourist births at 582 in 2018
|
Posted on Sep 27 2019
The number of tourists who gave birth in the CNMI in 2018 went slightly up, from 561 live births in 2017 to 582 live births in 2018, according to the annual report of the Commonwealth Health Care Corp.
CHCC classifies mothers as “tourists” when they come from other countries (predominantly Asia), and are only in the CNMI for a short period of time (usually several weeks).
Comparatively, CHCC also reported a rise in resident births, from 430 live births in 2017 to 492 in 2018. Mothers classified as “residents” are those who permanently reside in the CNMI and are citizens of the United States or a Freely Associated State, or an immediate relative (e.g. husband, wife) of a U.S. or FAS citizen.
In the case of temporary residents, CHCC reports a decrease in births, from 218 in 2017 to 188 in 2018.
“Temporary residents” are non-permanent residents who are not U.S. or FAS citizens but who have been in the CNMI for several months/years on short- or long-term visas, predominantly working visas.
In total, CHCC has seen an increase in overall births, from 1,209 births in 2017 to 1,262 births in 2018. According to the 2018 report, data collected dates back to 2011, with 2018 being the latest count. Within that time, CHCC counts 7,809 overall births from 2011 to 2018, with 4,212 resident births, 1,714 temporary resident births, and 3,145 tourist births.
“The CHCC aims to benefit all mothers and babies who come through our doors,” CHCC spokesperson Zoe Travis said. Travis informed Saipan Tribune that CHCC’s biggest concern is that too often, women arrive to deliver babies with no history of prenatal care and this puts the baby and mother in danger.
Most births are delivered at Saipan’s lone hospital, the Commonwealth Health Center.
