China faces a dual-disease dilemma
By Cai Wenjun |
00:00 UTC+8 June 15, 2010
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
CHINA is facing a double-health crisis, with both non-contagious chronic diseases and the infectious variety rampant.
This could be rectified by a better health-care system and more advanced technology, Health Minister Chen Zhu told a conference in Shanghai yesterday.
Chronic ailments, such as cerebral vascular disease, tumors, respiratory diseases and cardiovascular diseases, are causing 80 percent of deaths in China.
He said the nation had not effectively controlled the spread of severe infectious diseases like AIDS and tuberculosis.
China has about 350 million people who smoke, 177 million or so with hypertension and roughly 50 million diabetics.
"Chronic disease has become a major public-health issue," Chen Zhu told the annual session of the joint coordinating board of Tropic Diseases Research, a program for research and training under the World Health Organization.
Patients with diabetes or living with pre-diabetes syndromes rose by fourfold from 2002 to 2008 in China, Chen said. Domestic experts have used the word "blowout" to describe this trend.
Chen said China had made great achievements in infectious-disease prevention and control under the support of TDR.
"The population suffering from malaria has dropped from 30 million every year in 1950s to the current figure of about 10,000 and China plans to eliminate malaria in 2020," he said.
Diseases like AIDS, hepatitis B, tuberculosis, encephalitis B and meningitis are responsible for 88 percent of total reported infectious diseases in China.
There are 4.5 million people with tuberculosis on Chinese mainland and new cases grow by 650,000 annually. This equates to 15 percent of all new cases in the world.
"A universal health care system covering both urban and rural populations and public health programs strengthening the health of women and children must be introduced to meet these challenges," Chen said.
Since new health-care reforms began in April last year, more than 1.2 billion people, or 90 percent of the population, are covered by various levels of medical insurance.
Major public health programs have begun over the past year.
For example, about 30 million children aged below 15 and not immunized have received free shots for hepatitis B, hospitalization subsidies have been arranged for more than 6 million rural women for child delivery and free folic acid is available for about 3 million rural women planning or in the early stages of pregnancy.
"Neighborhood health facilities are the key for chronic-disease prevention and control, so thegovernment has enhanced investment and talent cultivation to strengthen its capability to offer convenient and efficient service to the public," Chen said.
This could be rectified by a better health-care system and more advanced technology, Health Minister Chen Zhu told a conference in Shanghai yesterday.
Chronic ailments, such as cerebral vascular disease, tumors, respiratory diseases and cardiovascular diseases, are causing 80 percent of deaths in China.
He said the nation had not effectively controlled the spread of severe infectious diseases like AIDS and tuberculosis.
China has about 350 million people who smoke, 177 million or so with hypertension and roughly 50 million diabetics.
"Chronic disease has become a major public-health issue," Chen Zhu told the annual session of the joint coordinating board of Tropic Diseases Research, a program for research and training under the World Health Organization.
Patients with diabetes or living with pre-diabetes syndromes rose by fourfold from 2002 to 2008 in China, Chen said. Domestic experts have used the word "blowout" to describe this trend.
Chen said China had made great achievements in infectious-disease prevention and control under the support of TDR.
"The population suffering from malaria has dropped from 30 million every year in 1950s to the current figure of about 10,000 and China plans to eliminate malaria in 2020," he said.
Diseases like AIDS, hepatitis B, tuberculosis, encephalitis B and meningitis are responsible for 88 percent of total reported infectious diseases in China.
There are 4.5 million people with tuberculosis on Chinese mainland and new cases grow by 650,000 annually. This equates to 15 percent of all new cases in the world.
"A universal health care system covering both urban and rural populations and public health programs strengthening the health of women and children must be introduced to meet these challenges," Chen said.
Since new health-care reforms began in April last year, more than 1.2 billion people, or 90 percent of the population, are covered by various levels of medical insurance.
Major public health programs have begun over the past year.
For example, about 30 million children aged below 15 and not immunized have received free shots for hepatitis B, hospitalization subsidies have been arranged for more than 6 million rural women for child delivery and free folic acid is available for about 3 million rural women planning or in the early stages of pregnancy.
"Neighborhood health facilities are the key for chronic-disease prevention and control, so thegovernment has enhanced investment and talent cultivation to strengthen its capability to offer convenient and efficient service to the public," Chen said.
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