China has made headway in promoting labor analgesia, or painless childbirth, over the past five year as over 900 pilot hospitals across the country were set up for the medical practice.

Labor pain is considered the most severe pain women will experience in their lifetime. With the development of medical technology, labor analgesia came into being, which greatly reduces the pain of giving birth, with many calling it "the light of mankind.”
This has been driven by a painless labor proposal put forward by Huang Yuguang, a doctor at Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing and also a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's top political advisory body.
CPPCC members come from various walks of life and ethnic groups. One of their key duties is to carry out studies and surveys on issues of public concern, and report on social conditions and public sentiment, then put forward opinions and suggestions to the Party and the government.
"For the labor process, the mother is suffering a lot. That always belongs to the severe pain. So, this is why I tried to help the young ladies during the laboring, [so that] they can have better experience. On the other hand, I'm a CPPCC member, so I have a responsibility to represent the people's feeling and the public concern. I think that's a small question, but is involved so much in the society," said Huang during an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN).
Huang first made the proposal in 2018 and several months later, the National Health Commission released a work plan for the nationwide promotion of pain relief methods during labor and delivery.
"After my proposal [was] raised only six months later, the National Health Commission announced the official the document, encouraging us to have more labor analgesia in clinical practice. Across the country, the National Health Commission set up 912 medical centers as the labor analgesia basis," said Huang.
"After five years, right now, across the country, labor analgesia rate already accounts for 53 percent," he said.
As a CPPCC member, Huang said he has the responsibility to represent the people's feelings, listen to public concerns and help people solve their problems.
"I'm just a doctor, I'm a teacher, I am a CPPCC member, but I can do a lot. I can help the people a lot. When we raise the issue, if it really can help the people or represent the people's opinion and their needs, we always can get the government support and the positive reply. So, I think that's the advantage of our country and is also the Chinese-style democracy. I'm really proud of living and working here and enjoy everything we have in our hands," he said.