Health and dental care in China

¶ … Health and Dental Care in China

Not a lot is known outside of China

about its internal affairs

Few know anything about the health system

Except what is in the news: it is inadequate

Fewer know anything about the dental care system

It is also inadequate

Most of the problems are in the rural areas.

Comparing the PRC with the West

Availability of Resources

Education

Education of Practitioners

Education of consumers

Cost

Cost of educating practitioners

Cost of the care for consumers

Availability

The availability of health and dental care in China is largely governed by available resources, which are concentrated in the cities.

Population =1.2 billion people

80% live in rural areas

Practitioners do not make much money there

Education for rural people lagsd behind urban

Education

Only enough spaces in universities for 10% of the high school graduates

In rural areas many who attend school only attend through ninth grade and some only through third grade.

Law mandates 9th grade, but family needs may force disobedience

Impossible to enforce this: people want education, so no need to enforce

Lack of Educational Resources

University places are doled out based on high school grades and competitive entrance exams

This means that many more urban children graduate high school

Many more score high enough for university

City people do not want to move

Education

Most Chinese want an education

It is the only way to upward mobility

Rural areas are subsistence farming or factory work

Families are poor, cannot afford higher education

Children in ruralk areas generally not educated enough to get scholarships

$$$COST$$$

Educating the health practitioners is expensive

Few places in university for these since universities get grant money from industry

No universities close to most in need

Locals must board far away

Cost is higher

Educating the poorly educated rural people to the need for care is a problen since they are poorly educated: barely read and write

Current Situation

Health and Dental available and affordable in cities

Some health and dental available in rural areas

Practitioners are poory educated and ill equipped

Currently dental care is rather expensive for low income families

Health care has same problems as dental care

Insurance

Government workers and workers for many big companies are provided with insurance.

Insurance is government owned, so not for profit

Insurance generally covers whatever is necessary within the insured time.

This is to encourage people to seek help before care becomes more expensive

A Note on Chinese Media

Chinese media are government institutions

Protocols:

They can criticize what is done by the government (or not done), but they never actually criticize the government.

Provide subtle clues as to the actual attitudes behind the factual news reporting

Feel good news: Chinese media generally do not distort or lie, but they may weigh positive stories more heavily as news than negative.

Literature Review

Found nothing I helpful in academic texts

China Daily Newspaper: English Edition

Provided:

Too Few Residents Open Wide

A Kinder, Gentler Oral Treatment Takes the Crown

Industry Special: Pain Relief Toothpaste Said to be a Boon to One in Three in China

Healthcare Survey Finds Misconceptions

Too Few Residents Open Wide

60% of Beijing residents were in need of some kind of dental treatment

A survey conducted by the Beijing Stomatological Hospital showed that less than half of middle-aged residents in Beijing brush their teeth twice a day

Blamed Lack of Awareness

Average age for tooth loss is 50

Periodontitis

Many believe that cleaning is only for whitening

A Kinder, Gentler Oral Treatment Takes the Crown

Small private dental clinics, which have mushroomed, are treating more than fifty patients per month.

The public clinics have long queues

There is a family care trend with humane treatment in private clinics

More modern equipment even attracts lower wage earners

Small sized private clinics seem to be the wave of the future in Beijing

Awareness Programs

November 15, 2010: every child in Beijing schools received a dental checkup and a new toothbrush and paste with instructions for brushing

The annual health care event in Beijing last May cited pampered only children who are given sugary and fatty foods by indulgent parents and grandparents as reason that dental health is falling among youngsters.

Industry special: Pain relief toothpaste said to be a boon to one in three in China

Proctor and Gamble's statement that use of their dental products is increasing and private dental clinics shows increased awareness

Rural Areas Problematic

Too few practitioners

Less awareness due to literacy levels and education

Low income does not pay much

Most practitioners have little more than High School Education

Equipment is outdated, scarce and inferior

Insurance

Government employees and those with big companies have insurance, generally with dental coverage

Insurance pays everything deemed necessary by doctors or dentists as long as coverage lasts

Co-pay, if any is 20%

Insurance Survey: Stand alone policies

"Health Statistics said.

Among those with dental coverage,

33% had a comprehensive plan with dental coverage,

26% had a stand-alone plan.

14% had both.

Insurance Survey: Company Plans

Employer-sponsored care,

20% lacked a dental plan." (Healthcare survey finds misconceptions )

Government employees

Many as government owns all:

banks, oil companies, telecoms, hospitals, public educational institutions, public transit, airlines, trains and utilities

All are insured. Their insurance included dental plans. They can choose free public care or pay a part of the charges at private clinics.

Rural Areas

CCTV reported in November (CCTV News) that the government was committed to improving health care in rural areas, where many get only basic health care by poorly trained practitioners.

In some areas these practitioners have only a high school education plus some training. This measure was taken to provide some form of health care to rural areas, however, this needs changing, and the Chinese government is ready to step up reforms which will provide better care for all citizens (Dialogue October 29, 2010),

Interviews: Informal Interviews done in Beijing