2016年CRI China to Train More Pediatricians in the Time of Two-child Policy

 

Statistics from the National health and family planning commission show that currently there is only one pediatrician for every two-thousand children in China.

The shortage has made things difficult for parents.

One father of a two-year-old boy says when he brought his son, suffering from a fever to the Capital Children's Research Institute, they waited nearly all night, and even then failed to receive emergency care.

This experience is sadly not unusual. The country's over thirty-thousand health institutions with pediatric departments, receive 471 million outpatient visits annually¹, and can only provide care to around 22 million inpatients on average.

Jiao Yahui, a senior official with China's health commission, said the shortage of pediatricians is severe.

"The total population of children aged² between zero to fourteen has now reached 230 million in China, but we have just 118,000 professional pediatricians across the country. This figure in per capita terms has remained far lower than other major developed countries. The number of pediatric medical personnel is far from being enough."

Chen Xiao, a senior pediatrician with over 30 years experience, says low salaries, the pressure of work, and the high risks involved are the main causes behind people's reluctance³ to become pediatricians.

"We usually see one outpatient every five minutes, which means we even don't have time to drink water or go to the toilet. Moreover, we have to work for more than 12 hours. Though characterized by acute onset⁴, rapid progression, and high risk, children's diseases are diagnosed completely through doctors' observations. Therefore, pediatricians are facing greater pressures and risks than doctors treating adults."

Also - a decrease in the number of pediatric graduates has also fueled the shortage.

In response, Jin Shengguo, from the National Health and Family Planning Commission, outlined the country's plans to fill this gap.

"To ease the shortfall, China will enhance the training of pediatric resident doctors, train doctors who shift to pediatric care, and provide bespoke⁵ courses."

In addition, the nation's top 38 medical schools will enroll⁶ more students on post-graduate pediatric courses, and have at least one higher learning institute in each region offering undergraduate pediatric courses.

Jin Shengguo stressed that China will strive to increase the number of pediatricians to 140,000, representing 0.6 pediatricians for every 1,000 children, by the year 2020.

For CRI, this is Huang Shan.

1 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

2 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

3 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。

4 onset   

n.进攻，袭击，开始，突然开始

参考例句：

• The drug must be taken from the onset of the infection.这种药必须在感染的最初期就开始服用。
• Our troops withstood the onset of the enemy.我们的部队抵挡住了敌人的进攻。

5 bespoke   

adj.（产品）订做的；专做订货的v.预定( bespeak的过去式 )；订（货）；证明；预先请求

参考例句：

• His style of dressing bespoke great self-confidence. 他的衣着风格显得十分自信。
• The haberdasher presented a cap, saying,"Here is the cap your worship bespoke." 帽匠拿出一顶帽子来说：“这就是老爷您定做的那顶。” 来自辞典例句

6 enroll   

v.招收；登记；入学；参军；成为会员（英)enrol

参考例句：

• I should like to enroll all my children in the swimming class.我愿意让我的孩子们都参加游泳班。
• They enroll him as a member of the club.他们吸收他为俱乐部会员。