One third of newborns delivered at high-risk units

Around one third of all newborn babies were born at hospital’s high-risk units last year, according to figures released on Tuesday by the Czech Statistical office. The causes include a growing number of children born following IVF procedures; more multiple births and a rise in the average age of mothers, the statisticians said. Over 108,000 babies were born in 2011, 8,400 less than in the previous year. The highest birth rates were registered in Prague and central Bohemia, the lowest in the Zlín and Moravian-Silesian regions. 331 babies were born outside health care facilities, either at home or on the way to the hospital.

Author: Jan Richter