Medicine And Public Health In The People S Republic Of China

Excerpt from Medicine and Public Health in the People's Republic of China In 1969 the Fogarty International Center began a series of studies of research and health activities in other countries in relation to their political and economic structure. The first study dealt with Soviet programs in research and public health as they have evolved in the political structure established following the Bolshevik Revolution of November 1917. In late 1970 the Fogarty International Center began a search for in formation about medical and public health activities in the People's Republic of China. A long silence has shrouded that nation, which has almost one-fourth of the world's population, an ancient and respected civilization, and a long and honorable medical tradition. During 1971 communication between the United States and Mainland China re sumed after a hiatus of more than twenty years. For those who believe that the universal desire for health and relief from disease and suffering may be the strongest key to peace and international cooperation, it is significant and heartening to observe that physicians were among the first groups granted permission to visit the Pe0p1e's Republic of China. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This book, based on extensive original research, traces the development of China’s public health system, showing how advances in public health have been an integral part of China’s rise. It outlines the phenomenal improvements in public health, for example the increase in life expectancy from 38 in 1949 to 73 in 2010; relates developments in public health to prevailing political ideologies; and discusses how the drivers of health improvements were, unlike in the West, modern medical professionals and intellectuals who understood that, whatever the prevailing ideology, China needs to be a strong country. The book explores how public health concepts, policies, programmes, institutions and practices changed and developed through social and political upheavals, war, and famine, and argues that this perspective of China’s development is refreshingly different from China’s development viewed purely in political terms.

This book introduces China’s public health work in detail, including its scope and characteristics, its history and evolution, its achievements and experience, the guiding principles for health development, health service system, public health education as well as science and technology of public health. In this book, opportunities and challenges of China’s public health are also presented, along with the prospects of future development. Over the sixty years, China has made remarkable achievements in the areas such as the national immunization program, maternal and child health, disease surveillance, the establishment of a public health information system and its application, as well as the improvement of people’s health, with tremendous experience and best practices being accumulated. In the new era, China starts a new journey towards building Healthy China, which is of great significance for the country’s public health development. The international community will have a better understanding of the history and current situation of China’s public health, as well as its achievements and contributions made to date, from reading this book.

This book addresses contemporary public health challenges in China from an interdisciplinary perspective. These challenges include health service system, population ageing, food safety, substance abuse and its prevention and treatment, Buddhist delivery of elderly care, the development of professional healthcare social work, and the integration of Chinese Medicine in public health. The book brings together top-notch scholars, academics and professionals in each of these research areas to explore and reveal the complex and challenging task of addressing health-related issues in China.