PHL population still high in Southeast Asia

MANILA, Philippines – The Dr Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital in Manila remains one of the busiest maternity hospitals in the world.

As many as three would-be mothers squeeze into beds that number less than a thousand.

The hospital that started as a maternity house in 1920 is regarded as one of the busiest in the world, averaging as many as 100 births in 24 hours, reports in June 2011 said.

According to 2011 data from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (Unescap), “Population growth rates have been decreasing in almost all subregions since 2000. The decline has been slightly faster in South-East Asia and in South and South-West Asia.”

China and India, the two most populous countries of the region recorded growth rates that fell to 0.5% and 1.2%, respectively, in 2010, Unescap said.

Many regard the Fabella Hospital as indicative of the country’s exploding population growth rate, estimated at close to 2%, higher than Southeast Asia’s 1.7% average. – Rappler.com