Move to hospital deliveries saves mothers, infants in Tibet

That was too long for many women in labor.

She still recalls vividly how in 1989, a pregnant woman from Zhipo Village sent a brother to lead her to the home.

"It took me half a day on horseback," she recalled.

But on the way, they encountered another relative, who was in tears.

"He said that I no longer needed to come, as the patient had already died," she said, bitterly. "I am a woman too, and I felt sorry for her."

A joint project to encourage hospital delivery was started by the local government and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in 1999. Under the program, which covers 15 counties in seven prefectures, a new mother who delivered her child in a hospital would get a 20-yuan subsidy (about 3 U.S. dollars) for herself and 10 yuan for the person who accompanied her.

"The average annual income in villages was about 3,000 yuan, while some poor farmers only earned 1,500 yuan a year," said Tsenam.