Aspects of health care in China

Abstract

I work in nurse education mainly running courses concerned with family planning and health screening, so my particular interest was to look at those services, and the training provided to staff. I wished to look both at the urban facilities but particularly the 'barefoot doctor' training and the services they provided in the rural areas. Within the factories I wanted to talk to staff to see if their service equated with our occupational health service.

PIP: China's population is increasing at a rate of 12 million/year and the population doubled from 1949 to 1982. By the end of the century there will be 1 billion 300 million people when the land resources can accommodate only 680 million inhabitants. The policy of 1 child aims only at curtailing this growth by a system of awards and penalties. Contraceptives are free and widely available. As a result there are 32 million single children, and there is concern about the future care of the elderly. Since 1949 health care has improved. The infant mortality rate decreased from 200/1000 in 1949 to 34/1000 in 1982. Average life expectancy rose from 35 to 68 years. There are 2 million hospital beds and over 4 million medical personnel. Contagious and infectious diseases were eliminated in the 1950s, however, 60 million Chinese suffer from endemic disease, especially from snail fever. 40 million women use IUDs. There are 144 medical schools with 144,000 students. 1,200,000 paramedics provide primary care in the communes. There is an acute shortage of nurses because of its lowly status. Dependents pay 50% of health care while it is free for workers. Health education campaigns are widespread (1 child only, stop smoking). The elderly are cared for by their children, but grandparents also take care of grandchildren. Retirement age is 55 or 60 depending on gender and type of work. Professional visits were made to the Beijing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital (gallstone treatment with herbs, heat-producing moxibustion for blood circulation), Norman Bethune Hospital, (suction and prostaglandins for abortion), Dongying Commune, Hebei Medical College (25 specialties for postgraduate students), Shandong Psychiatric Hospital in Jinan (treatment of acute psychoses, schizophrenia, or mania), the Provincial Hospital Jinan (cesarean operations are done with acupuncture anesthesia), Jinan School of Health (nursing curriculum demonstration), Shanghai First Social Welfare Home for the Elderly, and to several factories.