Health chief promises more pediatricians, children's hospitals

China will significantly increase medical resources for children in the next five years, the head of the National Health and Family Planning Commission said on Tuesday.

Medical authorities will work to recruit at least 30,000 resident pediatricians in Chinese hospitals by 2020 and make sure every city with a population above three million has a dedicated children's hospital, Li Bin said at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual legislative session.

The boost is badly needed. As a result of China's recent adoption of a policy allowing all married couples to have two children, demand for pediatrics is expected to surge.

Of the 25,860 hospitals nationwide at the end of 2014, only 99 were dedicated to children, with the number of their beds accounting for 5.6 percent of the total hospital beds, and pediatricians made up just 3.9 percent of all certified doctors in China.

Source: Xinhua