Parents unable to help youngsters is leading cause of abandonment

China has been urged to improve its medical aid system for children with major diseases or disabilities to prevent parents abandoning children because they cannot afford the cost of treatment.

"Some 20 years ago, I found that most children were abandoned because they were girls, but now nearly 100 percent of abandoned children are either severely sick or disabled," said Wan Fangrui, a senior pediatrician at Nanchang Third Hospital.