20 regions now transfer fertility subsidies directly to female employees' personal accounts

A total of 20 provincial-level regions have now begun distributing fertility subsidies directly to beneficiaries' personal accounts rather than through employers, according to a statement from the National Healthcare Security Administration released on Monday.

In China, fertility subsidies refer to financial support provided to women during maternity leave. They are funded through public healthcare insurance program and are traditionally first allocated to employers' insurance accounts before being passed on to female employees — a process that is often lengthy and inefficient.

In recent years, an increasing number of regions have moved to streamline this procedure.

The latest to adopt direct disbursement to individuals include the provinces of Hebei, Zhejiang, Jilin and Yunnan, said the administration.

Official data shows that as of June, maternity insurance covered 253 million people, with cumulative expenditures from the fund surpassing 438 billion yuan ($68 billion).