Xizang sees all-time high in healthcare level

The health level of residents in Xizang autonomous region has reached an all-time high in history thanks to a combination of funds and medical aid projects dedicated to boosting the region's healthcare sector, authorities said on Friday.

Liu Kui, director of the National Health Commission's finance department, said that a variety of medical aid programs directed at Xizang have been rolled out over the past three decades, including building partnerships between Xizang and other more developed provinces and dispatching medical groups or renowned professionals from major hospitals to Xizang.

"Since 2012, more than 30 billion yuan ($4.14 billion) from central funds or funds from regions that have banded with Xizang have been invested into boosting the region's healthcare development," he said during a news conference.

The average life expectancy in Xizang has increased by nearly six years over the past decade, and key health indicators such as the mortality rates for pregnant women and infants and toddlers have dropped precipitously.

Guo Luo, deputy director of Xizang's health commission, said that the region now has over 1,800 medical institutions with 22,000 hospital beds, compared with less than 1,200 hospitals with 5,600 beds about three decades ago.

"The number of physicians per 1,000 population also increases from 1.9 to 3.3," he said.

Local medical capabilities have also improved gradually as remote diagnosis and treatment platforms have now covered every single one of rural clinics.

As a result, more than 400 types of major illnesses, including pediatric leukemia and giant intracranial aneurysm, can be treated within Xizang and more than 2,000 types of severe diseases such as acute myocardial infarction and strokes can be resolved locally.

In the Driru county in Xizang's Nagchu prefecture sitting at an average altitude of over 4,000 meters, the county hospital used to have a few certified physicians in the past and was unable to carry out normal blood tests or basic surgeries like the removal of appendix.

"Thanks to continuous medical assistance, the hospital is now equipped with 224 medical staff and 29 different clinical apartments and is able to carry out some minimally invasive procedures," he said, adding that 12 local medical professionals have been nurtured and the ratio of patients being transferred outside the county among all patients have significantly dropped.

Meanwhile, Guo said that incidence rates of infectious diseases, such as echinococcosis and Kashin-Beck disease which are endemic illnesses in Xizang, have fallen to a historic low. Free cancer screening programs and free vaccinations against human papillomavirus vaccines have been carried out solidly.

"All key health indicators for residents in Xizang have reached a historic high, and the proportion of out-of-pocket health expenditures to total expenses has decreased below 10 percent," he added.

Liu said that for the next step, authorities will focus on improving the capabilities of local hospitals, especially in their capacities in urgently needed clinical specialties such as gynecology and obstetrics and emergency care.

Efforts will also be made to accelerate the use of information technologies and remote diagnosis platforms so that residents in far-flung areas can access convenient and high-quality medical services.

The commission will also support more local medical workers in Xizang to study and practice in more developed regions, he added.