BEIJING, March 28 -- China's National Health Commission has released a circular to enhance the management of midwife service, highlighting the role of publicly-funded healthcare institutions in fulfilling people's basic need for midwife service.

According to the circular, county-level areas with a population of more than 300,000 should have at least two publicly-funded healthcare institutions capable of providing midwife service, while those with a population of less than 300,000 should have at least one such institution.

The circular also urged efforts to ensure the availability of midwife service at grassroots medical institutions in sparsely-populated areas.

In case a publicly-funded medical institution plans to shut down its obstetrics department, it must extensively solicit in written form the opinions of pregnant females who have signed up for the service as well as the opinions of local government branches and health administrative departments, the circular read.