LHASA -- By the end of 2024, the maternal and infant mortality rates in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region had both fallen to historic lows, marking significant improvements in women's and children's health services in the region, according to local authorities on Friday.

The maternal mortality rate dropped to 34.94 per 100,000 in 2024 from 5,000 per 100,000 in 1951, a time when people in rural and pastoral areas mainly gave birth at home. The infant mortality rate declined significantly to 4.32 per 1,000 in 2024 from 430 per 1,000 in 1951, said Li Guoying, an official with the Xizang regional women's federation, at a press conference. He added that the hospital delivery rate reached 99.34 percent last year.

Xizang has continuously implemented preferential policies for hospital deliveries in rural and pastoral areas. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), subsidies totaling more than 210 million yuan (about $29.6 million) have been allocated to 213,600 expectant mothers and their family members in the region, he said.

Since 2021, the region has conducted over 500,000 cervical and breast cancer screenings for women, with HPV vaccination coverage reaching 91.96 percent. Additionally, more than 300,000 children have been screened for congenital heart disease, according to Li.

In 1965, when the autonomous region was established, Xizang had only 193 medical and health institutions, 2,422 medical staff and 1,631 hospital beds. By 2024, these figures had risen to 7,231, 32,056 and 21,448, with a maternal and child health service network now covering the regional, prefectural and county levels, he said.

As of 2024, the population of Xizang stood at 3.7 million, of which 1.75 million were women, accounting for about 47.3 percent. Female employees accounted for 40.2 percent of the total workforce in the region, he said.

Over the past 60 years, the proportion of women working in science and technology, education, health, culture, and modern agriculture has steadily increased, while their participation in economic and social development has also grown significantly, he added.