More pediatricians needed for children's health

A doctor sees a young patient in a clinic in Chiping county in Liaocheng city, East China's Shandong province. [Photo/IC]

The weak capacity of pediatric departments in China is complex and multifaceted. First, the philosophy of medical education prevalent in the late 1990s somehow preferred general medical training over specialized pediatric training, compounded by the perceived declining demand because of low birth rate. And starting from 1999, many medical schools stopped offering undergraduate programs in pediatrics.

Postgraduate education alone has not been able to train enough pediatricians. In stark contrast to the mounting needs, the number of pediatricians in China has actually dropped. For every 10,000 children under 14, China has just 5.3 pediatricians, a figure much lower than the international standard. Estimates suggest 200,000 more physicians are needed to fill up the personnel gap in pediatric departments.

Second, growing demand and shrinking supply combine to mean heavy workload for physicians. The average outpatient load for pediatricians is 2.6 times heavier than other specialist physicians. It is not uncommon for those in major tertiary hospitals to attend more than 100 children a day while putting in more than 20 hours of overtime a week. Many studies have reported severe burnout syndrome and occupational stress of Chinese pediatricians, leaving this profession often the last choice when medical graduates choose their specialties.