Major infectious diseases, major chronic diseases, maternal and
child health, mental health, environmental health and behavioral
health are all focuses of the Chinese Health and Well-being
Strategy till 2020, the Chinese Health Minister Chen Zhu told the
fifth Sino-US Symposium on Medicine in the 21st Century.
The symposium opened in the city yesterday and Minister Chen
said that the success of the strategy would be seen in life
expectancy, infant mortality and maternal mortality and the control
of communicable diseases and chronic non-communicable diseases.
Improved accessibility to health services and the development of
the bio-medicine industry were also key factors.
Plans are already in place to adopt the strategy. Other keys to
improving China's health include the prevention and control of
liver diseases, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and schistosomiasis (snail
fever), metabolic syndrome and cancer.
The strategy also highlights mental health with an accent on the
young and the elderly.
According to the China Psychology Association, 30 million
adolescents in China are suffering mental health problems. Among
those with mental disorders, up to 32 percent are students from
middle schools and primary schools, and up to 25.4 percent are
college students.
Surveys in places like Shanghai, Shandong and the Inner Mongolia
Autonomous Region show sometimes up to 30 percent of students have
behavioral problems.
The plans go on to cover unhealthy life styles which affect more
than 70 percent of the populace in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou
and aging - the number of people above 65 in China will exceed 200
million in 2027.
Chen discussed China's achievements in health care including its
Internet reporting for communicable diseases.
(Shanghai Daily October 14, 2007)