Survey highlights pediatrician shortage

Nearly 70 percent of parents have had difficulty getting their child an appointment with a pediatrician, according to a survey conducted as the government announced plans to improve pediatric care.

Over half of the 2,000 respondents to the online survey by the China Youth Daily put the problem down to shortage of pediatricians, the newspaper reported on Friday. About 57 percent said there were not enough children's hospitals.

Of the 25,860 hospitals in China at the end of 2014, only 99 were dedicated to children. There are currently 118,000 pediatricians in China, or an average of one for every 2,000 children.

Gao Ranran (a pseudonym), a pediatrician at a hospital in Tangshan, Hebei Province, said she rarely takes time off, even when she is ill herself, as it would put too much strain on her colleagues.

It is feared that China's introduction of the two-child policy this year will further aggravate the staff shortage.

More than 63 percent of the respondents said recruitment and training of pediatricians was inadequate.

China canceled an undergraduate pediatrics major in colleges in 1999. Most pediatricians majored in other branches of medicine or gained postgraduate pediatrics qualifications.

Education authorities are beginning to restore the major in medical colleges, as the government has promised to train more doctors and set up more hospitals for children.

Medical education institutions will enroll an additional 30,000 students majoring in pediatrics by 2020, and cities with a permanent population of more than three million will have at least one dedicated children's hospital, health chief Li Bin said earlier this month during the annual legislative session.

But lack of training is not the only factor to blame for the current shortage. Pediatricians are usually paid less than other doctors but work longer hours and receive more patients.

Gao said she generally sees more than 70 patients a day, and often faces disrespect and anger from parents.

Shen Xiaoming, a senior official in Shanghai's Pudong District and a pediatrician, explained why pediatricians' salaries are lower: Compared with adult patients, treating a child brings a hospital less profit as doses of medicine are smaller.

Political advisor and veteran doctor Gao Chunfang suggested raising pediatricians' salaries above those of their peers. He said he was confident other doctors would not object as they all know how hard pediatricians have to work. Endt