00:00Dr. Pan Junhen has been in obstetrics and gynecology for more than 40 years.
00:05But with Taiwan's birth rates stubbornly low, his practice only sees around 40 births a month.
00:12That's just a quarter of what used to be the norm.
00:15With that low number and national health insurance reimbursing less than $1,000 per new mom,
00:22money is tight. And Dr. Pan is thinking of calling it quits.
00:38There's no sign things will get better. So far this year, Taiwan only sees 7,000 to 8,000 births
00:44a month. At this rate, the country may see fewer than 100,000 births in total for the whole year,
00:51a new low. That spells trouble for those women who do become pregnant.
00:55Last year, 23 reproductive health practices closed across Taiwan, about 10 percent of the
01:02nation's total. At this rate, pregnant women outside of major cities could soon find it hard
01:07to get medical attention.
01:09The government says it will be considering its options over the coming weeks.
01:34For those practices now struggling, that response could seal their fate,
01:39amid a falling birth rate that shows no signs of rising again.
01:43Klein Wang, Irene Lin, and John Van Trieste for Taiwan Plus.
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