Health in China

In the past… Mao set up the system of “barefoot doctors” which was an effective way of increasing basic first aid for people in rural areas. Life expectancy in China in 1980 was higher than in countries which had a comparable level of development.

Deng’s Reforms… The Household Responsibility System meant that barefoot doctors either had to start charging a lot more for services, or they would be better off going back to farming. Barefoot Doctors had never had proper medical training – they were basically first aiders, but because they were charging so much, people were expecting them to be able to cure more serious illnesses. Doctors could earn more money by selling medicines that people don’t really need, and by using unsterilized needles to give injections – so this has led to a severe problem of people being over-medicated, and blood diseases have spread.

People had to pay for health care – which is hugely expensive People had to pay for health care – which is hugely expensive. The average Chinese citizen saves up 40% of their income every month in case they get ill in the future. It can cost up to £7000 to pay for treatment of a broken leg – long term treatments for illnesses like cancer will be many thousands – much more than people are paid There is huge inequality in health care in China

Bottom Tier – Rural Areas Rural areas lack modern health care facilities – doctors are often not properly trained, and they make money by prescribing drugs that the patient doesn’t really need. Incomes are much lower in rural areas – so people can’t afford health care. The government have put in place a rural health insurance scheme – which is supposed to help with the cost of treatment, but this only pays half of the cost- the patient still has to cover the rest, and as incomes in rural areas are only 1/6 of the level of urban areas, this is still too much.

Middle Tier - Migrants Migrant workers who are outside their Hukou find it very difficult to get health care in cities. They are not entitled to any insurance, as they are outside their Hukou, thye must pay for any care themselves – but it is often too expensive, as medication is highly priced, and even though incomes are higher than rural citizens, they are still not high enough. Migrant workers in Beijing gave themselves dialysis treatment for kidney disease – using an old machine they found in a skip.

Top Tier – People living in SEZ’s There are very modern hospitals in the cities – but only a few people are rich enough to use them As the government doesn’t give enough funding for hospitals, doctors have to charge huge fees, and drug companies sponsor doctors. People who are very rich go to hospital for very minor ailments – like colds and stay overnight – filling up beds that more seriously ill people need.

Health in Cities The health of people living in cities has also been affected by pollution. As the SEZ’s are so industrialised with huge factories, burning fossil fuels and many cars. China has become the world’s largest polluter. On December the 8th 2015, the Chinese government declared the first ever “Red Alert” on air pollution. This meant that the air pollution was too poisonous for people to be out in. Breathing the air is thought to be the equivalent of smoking 40 cigarettes a day. There have been 1.4 million premature deaths due to air pollution. There will be a massive number of people suffering from throat and lung cancer in the future