HEALTHCARE IN CHINA

Healthcare in China

Table of Contents

Introduction3

Early days of Chinese health care system3

Problems of health care in china6

Conclusion10

References12

Healthcare in China

Introduction

This paper will attempt to present a discussion on Healthcare in China. Particularly, the paper will begin by highlighting the history of the Chinese healthcare system as it was in second half of the last century and move on to elaborate on social problems that come across as challenges for the Chinese healthcare system. The paper will also highlight the manner in which the government faces social and economical challenges in the development of healthcare in the region. The paper will come to a concluding note after elaborating on the political problems that create complications in the provision of adequate healthcare services in China. Essentially, the paper will highlight the relevance of free healthcare to all Chinese.

Early days of Chinese health care system

It is estimated that in 1949 there were 0.67 doctors/1000 population and some 3600 health institutions in whole China, 2600 of them located in above county level cities. In other words, they were largely inaccessible to the majority of the population, to the 87.5% of the Chinese population living in rural areas emphasis on public health and health education. Health personnel were recruited and trained in short, very specific, training programs. The general public was mobilized to health campaign, aimed at eradicating vectors of communicable diseases that burdened the Chinese population for generations

The spread of the three-tier system in the rural areas was almost fully achieved during the Cultural Revolution, though many of the health campaigns, which successfully decreased mortality from infectious diseases during the first 15 years of the PRC, were discontinued (Hu, 1995). A large number of rural clinics were established, and programs for training members of the rural population as medical personnel and midwives were expanded. By the end of this period, health services were available, that is, affordable and accessible, to almost all the population, though the quality of care provision was uneven. Most of the rural population (some 80%) was covered by medical insurance; the great majority of the villages had a local primary care clinic supported by township health centers located 1-1.5km from the village except for remote, mountain villages. The health status of the population improved continuously, except for the period of the 'Great Leap Forward' and the famine that followed.

The fundamental challenge that makes it incredibly difficult to make use of western healthcare practices in China is the fact that healthcare resources in China are limited; while the need is to provide all Chinese citizens with free healthcare. This makes it difficult for the Chinese government to ensure the provision of adequate healthcare amongst the general public. This also increases the government's reliance on cooperative healthcare programs. However, the fact that the membership figures in these cooperative healthcare programs have fallen over the last few years serves to put more stress on the government. The Chinese government is aided in its efforts by the fact that the health of the ...