FOSHAN, Guangdong: This city's Shunde No 1 People's Hospital has been charging a daily fee of 40 yuan to protect newborn babies from kidnappers, stirring up heated debate among women in the hospital's maternity ward.

The hospital was the first in the country to introduce this system from overseas in an attempt to reverse a recent increase in infant abductions.

While many new mothers have welcomed the system, saying it would cut down on abductions and mismatching, many others have argued against it.