Chapter 5: Medical Staff

International audienceChina has around 2.79 million licensed physicians, among which 90% have received some kind of training in Western medicine in addition to Chinese traditional medicine. China has far more doctors than nurses. This is inherited from Chinese history, with the barefoot doctor system. In terms of education level, as many as 70% of healthcare suppliers did not have a bachelor degree in 2013. One of the current goals of Chinese authorities is to reinforce the training level and to ensure sufficient access to skilled healthcare personnel. Besides, there are important disparities in healthcare access between rural and urban areas. These disparities concern not only the number of medical employees per bed but also the average level of qualification available. In this chapter, we also explore the administrative status of public medical staff (bianzhi status) and their working conditions (salary, financial incentives and informal bonuses amounting to bribery). The development of the family doctor, through specific training and career paths, is usually seen as a key reform, which is now at the pilot programme stage