As the mainland pregnant women in advanced stage and without hospital booking faced entry ban from yesterday, anxious couples have been flocking to the hospitals in Hong Kong to try to secure the last places.

A spokesperson for the Immigration Department stated they couldn't provide any figures on the arrivals and returns of mainland pregnant visitors on February 1, but there no untoward incident at the check-points.

Starting from February 1, mainland women seven months or more pregnant are denied entry into Hong Kong, unless they have confirmed a booking certificate by a public or private hospital.

During the new measure's trial period from January 24 to 31, as many as 785 pregnant visitors were interviewed by the Immigration officers, and 49 of them were sent back since they could not produce the valid booking certificates.

While the interrogation caused delays in entry of other visitors during the trial period, the department stressed that the delays at check-point weren't serious enough and there would be enough manpower to tackle the situation.

As part of the new measure, the Hospital Authority raised the maternity fees for non-HK residents at all public hospitals, to HK$39,000 for the mothers-to-be with booking and HK$48,000 for those who do not have a place.

A total of 700 mainland pregnant women made their reservations at the public hospitals in Hong Kong by last week. All the beds at the Tuen Mun Hospital and Prince of Wales Hospital have been filled for the next three months.

The fee hikes, however, failed to deter some pregnant women from the mainland, who still consider the fees reasonable. A long queue was seen at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital yesterday morning, even before the reservation started at 9am.

"It's difficult to pay HK$39,000 at a time, but I still prefer coming to give birth in Hong Kong," said a 5-month pregnant mainland woman. "Medical services are much better here, and my child will have the right of abode in Hong Kong," she said.

Some local men with mainland spouses, however, are hard hit by the fee increase. A worried husband queuing up at the Queen Elizabeth hospital called the fee hike unaffordable. "It's out of question for someone like me, who belongs to the low-income groups and yet has to support a wife from the mainland," he said. "There is nothing I can do except to send my wife to the emergency room when she is due to give birth."

Beatrice Cheng, Senior Executive Manager (Professional Services) of the Hospital Authority, emphasized that the new measures are aimed at reducing the number of non-local residents giving birth at public hospitals, as local residents should have the priority.

Meanwhile, Lau Kwok-sum, chairperson for the Hong Kong Private Hospitals Association, noted that quota for mainland pregnant women at private hospitals in Hong Kong has been filled up for the next two months.