Mothers, babies safer and healthier

Traditionally, women have chosen to give birth at home in the Tibet autonomous region, which caused dramatic death rates for mothers and newborn babies. But improved maternal care has reversed the trend, Tibet's Women's Federation said.

Over 50 years, thanks to investments from the central government, the All-China Women's Federation and many organizations, the maternal and infant mortality rates have decreased sharply in the region.

Statistics from the regional women's federation released on Wednesday show that the maternal mortality rate has dropped to 108 per 100,000 from about 5,000 per 100,000 five decades ago. In the same period, the infant mortality rate has decreased to 16.8 per 1,000 from 430 per 1,000.