Some Observations on the Health Services in the People's Republic of China

The observations on health services presented in this paper were made by the author during a one—month visit to the People's Republic of China in September—October 1971 as the guest of the Chinese Medical Association. The first part of the paper describes the following general principles on which current health services in China appear to be based: emphasis on care in the rural areas; integration of traditional Chinese medicine with western medicine; expanded use of community members in health services; decentralization; educational and status changes for health workers; and an ethic of service and cooperation rather than professional satisfaction and competition. The second part describes current practices in the organization of health services, in hospitals, and in maternal and child care. The overall conclusion is that the Chinese have made incredible progress over the past 22 years and have many lessons for other countries.