Healthcare system
Most healthcare in China is provided by the government through a system of health insurance such as the work-based scheme, Basic Medical Insurance. There are charges for some services.
At the start of the 21st century there were many problems with the Chinese healthcare system. There was a long-standing shortage of healthcare facilities and huge differences between urban and rural areas. Many Chinese people were paying too high a price for a poor quality service. Access to medical practitioners in China is challenging due to the sheer number of people requiring healthcare services.
The rich are able to access top-tier care in prestigious hospitals staffed by foreign doctors, but the majority of the population is confined to overcrowded medical facilities. In rural areas, people are reliant on village clinics or must embark on journeys spanning hundreds of miles to locate the nearest medical facility.
China has put a lot of focus on increasing its number of family doctors in a bid to have 400,000 more GPs by 2030. (Source: National Library of Medicine 鈥 US).
Health issues in China
Obesity
Obesity is a relatively new problem in China but one that is growing at a rapid rate. Changes in lifestyle choices have led to more people eating fast food or exercising less.
According to the Lancet, in 2020 it was estimated that 34路3% of the adult population was classified as being overweight and 16.4% were obese.
Rising obesity is a problem for the government as related illness such as type-2 diabetes have become widespread and increase the pressure on the health services.
According to the International Diabetes Federation, between 2013 and 2021, the number of Chinese citizens with type-2 diabetes rose from 98.4 million to 140.9 million.
Smoking
Smoking is a traditional pasttime in China and cigarettes are often given as gifts. They can cost as little as 5 Yuan (50p) which makes it a very easy to take up the habit.
According to the World Health Organisation China is the largest producer and consumer of tobacco in the world. There are more than 300 million smokers in China, nearly one-third of the world's total. More than half of adult men are current tobacco smokers. About one in every three cigarettes smoked in the world is smoked in China.
More than 700 million non-smokers in China, including 180 million children are subjected to second hand smoke at least once a week. Second hand smoke accounts for 100,000 deaths each year.
China has made attempts to reduce smoking. Smoking is banned in restaurants, workplaces, indoor public spaces and in some outdoor public places. President Xi Jinping gave up smoking and different provinces have different fines for those breaking the rules and lighting up.