China moves to improve medical care for children

BEIJING — China has beefed up efforts to ensure medical care for children, according to the National Health Commission (NHC).

The country has witnessed major progresses in its pediatric medical care system in terms of its infrastructure and training of pediatricians in recent years, said Guo Yanhong, deputy director of the NHC’s Medical Administration Bureau.

The number of pediatric hospitals in China reached 228 by the end of 2018, and another 20 pediatric hospitals are under construction, according to Guo.

Meanwhile, the number of pediatricians grew to 154,000 by the end of last year, up 28.3 percent from 2015.

“The figure comes to about 0.63 pediatrician for every 1,000 children. I am confident the country’s target of 0.69 by 2020 could be reached on schedule,” Guo said.

The government issued a guideline in 2016 on advancing reform and development of pediatric medical services, calling for more children’s hospitals, a larger team of pediatricians and higher quality of services to cope with national pediatrician shortage.

Many provinces and cities including Beijing have published directories for pediatric hospitals and clinics to make it more convenient for the patients to seek treatment, according to Guo.